L5R Masters of War

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Contents INTRODUCTION Timeline: Wars in Rokugani History

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The First Yasuki \ Var

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The Clan lVar. The \ Var Against the Darkness The lVar of Spirits The Yobanjin Incursion The lVar of the Rich Frog The \ Var of Fire & Thunder The lVar of Silk & Steel.

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CHAPTER ONE, THE CRAB

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The Crab families and the Art of War

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The Hida

The Hiruma The The The The

Kalu Kuni Toritaka Yasuki

The Armies of the Crab The First Army

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.14 15 17 18 18

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The Second Army 20 The Third Army.. . . 20 The Army of the East 22 The Reserve Army 23 The Fourth Imperial Legion 26 Crab Stratcgy and Tactics 27 Crab Stronghold 31 Face of the East Castle 32 Far Runner Dojo 32 Kaiu Shiro 33 The Kaiu Wall..... . 34 Kyuden Hida. . 36 Razor of the Dawn Castle..... ..37 Sharp Eye Dojo . 37 Shinsei's Last Hope. . 38 Shiro Hiruma 38 Shiro Kuni-. 39 \Vatchtowcr of the East 40 \ Vatchtower of the \ Vest 40 Yasuki Yashiki ... ..40 Elite and Special Units.. . .41 Berserkers 41 The Damned.. .:.42 44Falcon's Strike Hida Elite Guard 44 Hiruma Stalkers.. . . .45 Kaiu Siege Engineers .46 Kuni \,yitch Hunters .48 Tsuru's Legion 49 Yasuki Family Guard 50

Yasuki Quartcrmasters 52 New Mechanics. ..53 New Equipment: Whip 53 New Basic School: Hida Berserker School (Bushi).S3 New Basic School: Kuni Witch Hunter (Bushi) 54 Techniques . 54 New Basic School: The Damned Berserkers (Bushi) 5S Techniqucs 56 Ncw Basic School: Toritaka Bushi School (Bushi) .56 New Basic School: Yasuki Taskmaster School (Bushi) 57 Techniques 57 New Path: Champion'S Guard (Sushi). ...58 Technique: Hida's Choscn 58 Technique: Endless Rage 58 New Path: Dead-Eyes Berserker (Bushi) ... 58 New Path: Falcon's Wings (Bushi) 59 New Path: The Falcon's Strike(Bushi) .... 59 New Path: Hida Elite Guard (Bushi) .... ..59 Technique: Fleet as the Falcon 59 Technique: Spotting the Prey 59 Technique: Speaking With the Darkness .. 60 New Path: Kuni Command Staff (Bushi or Shugenja) 60 New Path: Watcher of the Damned (Bushi) .. ...61 New Path: Yasuki House Guard (Bushi) .... 61 Technique: 61 Compassion and Steel Technique: Mastering the Gift 61 Techniquc: \Ve AcqUire \·Vhat \Ve Must .... 62 New Path: Yasuki Quartermaster (Courtier) .. ...62 Ne\\' Dojo 62 Far Runner Dojo 62 Kaiu Engineering Academy... .62 Sharp Eye Dojo 62 Mass Battle Against the Shadowlands (Optional Rule) .62 Heritage Tables 63 CHAPTER Two, THE UO

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The Lion Families and the Art of War The Akodo

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The Ikoma . 66 The Kitsll 68 The MatSlI 70 The Armies of the Lion Clan 71 The Akodo Army 71 The lkoma Army 73 The First Matsu Army 74 The Second Matsu Army.. .. 74 Thc Imperial Legions 75 The First Legion 75 The Seventh Legion 76 Lion Strategy and Tactics 77 Lion Strongholds . 82 Bishamon Seido 82 City of Honor's Sacrifice... . 83 City of the Rich Frog. . 84 Crossroads Castle 86 The Hall of Anceslors 87 Kenson Gakka.... . 88 Kyuden lkoma 90 Ninkatoshi. 90 91 Shiranai Toshi Shiro Akodo 93 Shiro Matsu... . 94 Shiro sane Ken Hayai. . 95 Elite and Special Units 96 Unique lion Units . 96 Akodo Elite Guard . 96 Deathseekers 98 Ikoma Elite Guardians 99 Ikoma vVardens.. . 101 Kitsu Spirit Legion 102 104 Lioness Legion Lion's Pride... .. 105 Lion Elite Spearmen 107 Matsu Beastmasters 109 Matsu Elite Guard ItO New Mechanics I 12 New EqUipment: Magari-yari .. I 12 New Advanced School: Lion's Pride (Bushi) 112 New Advanced School: Matsu Beastmastcr (Bushi) t 13 New Path: Akodo Elite Guard (Bushi) ..... 114 Technique: Akodo's CUI 114 New Path: Akodo Scouts (Bushi) .. 115 Technique: Honor in the Shadows I 15 New Path: FUjimaro's legion (Bushi) 1J 5 Technique: t 15 Fujimaro's Technique New Path: Ikoma Elite Guardians (Bushi) 115

Technique: Defend an Empire's Honor 115 New Path: Ikoma Herald 116 Technique: The Hand of Our Ancestors .. 116 New Path: Kitsu Spirit Legion (Shugenja)

... 116

Technique: Wrath of the Realms..

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New Path: Lion Elite Spearmen (Bushi) .. 117 Technique: Let Fly the Talons .. 118 Technique: Relentless .. 118 New Path: Matsu Elite Guard (Bushi) ..... 118

New Dojo

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Akodo's Dojo

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Crossroads Dojo The Doja of Our Ancestors

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The Dojo of Sacrifice

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Feathered Claw Dojo.

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Humility Dojo ........

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Lookout Shadow Dojo Matsu's Dojo. .

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Rich Frog Dojo

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Mass Battle Tables "Take Your Place!" \Nindow of Opportunity

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CHAPTER TH REE' THE UNICORN

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The Unicorn Families and the Art of War

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The The The The The The

Moto Shinjo Utaku.... Ide luchi Horiuchi

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The Armies of the Unicorn Clan The Baraunghar Army

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The Junghar Army The Khol Army The Eighth Imperial Legion

129 131 132

Unicorn Strategy and Tactics Shiro MOlO

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The Dojo of the Center..

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Unicorn Strongholds The \ Vhite Guard Barracks Toshi No Aida Ni Kawa vVatchtower.. . Duzaki Toshi..

136 137 .. 137 137 138

The Dojo of the Left Shiro Ide

Turo-Kojiri..

Shinomen Tower and the Walls of Iyotisha

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Hisatu·Kesu Shiro Iuchi..

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The Dojo of the Right.

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Iuchi Pass................. Iuchi Scout Dojo Seikitsu Pass and the Great Crater Bikarni . Akarni

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141 141 .142 ...143 .... 144 .. 144

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Shiro Utaku Shojo

Battle Maiden School and Utaku Testing Grounds Ulaku Infantry Dojo Far North Village (KibukiIO) Yashigi.... .

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(Kurayarni-ha Mura) Shiro Shinjo

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Shinjo Elite Guard 147 Dojo and Barracks 147 Egami Mura.. . 148 The Shinjo Horsebownlcn Dojo 148 Exile's Road and Exile's Watchtowcr .. . 148 Shindcn Horiuchi.. . 149 \,Var Dog Master Daja 149 Elite and Special Units 150 Moto \Vhite Guard 150 Utaku Infantry.. . 154 Shinjo Elite Guard 156 Shinjo Horsebowmen 156 luchi Scouts . 159 \ Var Dog Masters 160 New Mechanics 161 New Basic School: Utaku Infantry School (Bush i)

Shinjo Elite Guard (Bushi) ..... 166 Technique, Shinjo's Speed .. 166

New Path: Shinjo Horsebowman (Bushi) 166 Technique: Hanari's Technique 166 New Dojo. ..167 The Dojo of the Left ..... ......... 167 The Dojo of the Right..... .. 168

luchi Scout Doja.

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Shiro Utaku Shojo

144 144 145 145

Dark Edge Village

The Shinjo Bushi Dojo.

New Path: Khol Raider (Bushi) 165 Technique: Blade of the Khan .. 165 New Path:

Ulaku Infantry Dojo. Heritage Tables. APPENDtCE5..

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The Battle of the Cresting Wave, 716 The Battle of the Firefly River, 1136 Optional Rules - Ancestors Mechanics Example Ancestors...... .

169 171 173 173 175

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Techniques: 162 New Advanced School: ,"Var Dog Masters 163 Techniques: .... .... 163 New Path: Baraunghar Warrior (Bushi) .. 164 Technique: The Yojimbo's Blade

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138 139

New Path: Baraunghar Shugenja (Shugenja) .. .. 164 Technique: \ Varrior of the River 164 New Path: luchi Scout (Bushi). 165 Technique: Locate the Foe J 65 New Path: Junghar Defender (Bushi) ... 165

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Technique, Shield of the Khan. 165

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MASTERS OF WAR

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INTRODUCTION - . , . . - hough he was no\\' much closer to the end of his fife than to its beginning, it occurred to Do/daji Masuhiro that, personally speaking, he had little to regret certainly /lot now, as he sat at a comfortable kolalsu congenially

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discussing the art of lVar with the twenty or so cager, young Imperia/ Legion officers arrayed on tatami mats before him in a room in the Emerald Champion's palace. This was as close as the Legions had 10 a college, and he lvas its sensei. As one who had an unusual gift {or talk for a soldier, Masuhiro [ound himself

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quite well suited to the job.

In fact, he sometimes (elt that his natural gifts did not lie with soldiering, and that he had simply fallen in with that profession

when vel)' young. He had been born, after all, into the Family o[ the Iron Crane. vVhen he was five. he IVas sent to the Crab Lands as a political hostage; he ultimately [orgave the Daidoji [or forcing him to live with the Hida, and he also had to admit that the experience taught him much about warfare by default. He returned to the Crane Lands to complete his samurai training, but as one already weI/-schooled in the art of war. After sen/ing in the Crane annies during the Clan War; he was recruited into the imperial Legions. where he served mostfyas a staff officer. A lilt/e to his surprise, he [ound life in the Imperial City to hts Uk/ng. and he became something ofa rarity- a soldier who [elt equally at home in the barracks and the palace. a warrior who could easily pass (or a gentleman of the court. His po/wcal canniness had allowed him to survive upheaval, and he had seen Emerald ChampiOns and even Emperors come and go while he remained in Imperial servtce. Finally, when he became too old for active duty. Yasuki Hachi had awarded him this cozy pD5t so that he could pass on his wisdom to younger officers. No, he had no regrets for himself As (or Rokugan. however - well, that was another matter. Durtng hts adult lifetime. he had seen the Clan \,Var shatter the so-called Thousand Years of Peace; close on its heels came the series of conflicts known as the \"'ar Against the Darkness, and then the \A/ar of Spirits. when the ghosts of the Empire's past returned to make war on its present and future. And then there had been Daigotsu's destruction of O/osan Uchi in 1159. and the unusually prolonged fight between the Lion and the Unicorn over the City of the Rich Frog that had ended just a couple of years ago. And all of this on top of the usual cycle of sk/mlishing and raiding between the Great Clans. uprisings by Bloodspeakers and such, and the endless crash

of Shadowlands beasts against the fastness of the Kaiu Wall. Yes, Da/doji Masuhlro had been (ortunate, but he had lived long enough to see the Empire that he served loyally and loved dearly bleed, and bleed, and bleed. At least he had learned to take pleasure in the brier moments o( peace, and use them as consolation. To converse with those younger than him about the things he knew best was a pleasure, and therefore, a consolation. At such limes, he (eilihat the worst of his worries was his legs grolving cold because the kotatsu needed fresh coals In the brazier - although now, on a chilly winter's day, that was a real worry. All/he same, Masuhiro (elt himsel( in good spirits when. In the middle of a pleasant discussion of his own commentary on i\kodo's Leadership, a young student in the back of the room raised her hand and said. "Sensei, which o(the Great Clan annies would concern you the most if you were to (ace them in battle?" Masuhiro paused and (urrowed his brow thoughtfully. An old~ er student in the front of the group, who had participated in his seminars before, rolled his eyes and grinned; he knew how oflen Masuhiro-sensei was asked this question. and that he had a stock answer prepared. The pause and the ponderous look was a bit o( theatrics to make him look spontaneously witty Ivhen he did answer. Masuhiro shot him a sharp look. And then he smiled a wise smile and said: "Stnce you ask me, I would say: The Lion Clan, because they invented the art of lVar as we know it; the Unicorn Clan, because they seek to re-invent the art of war as we knolV it; and the Crab Clan, because they enjoy the art of IVar more than anyone else. " The young student nooded gravely. Masuhiro suppressed a smile; it always works. that it does. But then she raised her hand again. and without wailing (or him to acknowledge her; she asked. "Sensei. which of the Great Clans do you think will go to war next?" Masuhiro had no stock answer (or this. \o\'hen he (urrowed his brow again. the thoughtful look was no pose. But he did not have to think long for an answer: "The Crab," he said, "because they will never know peace as long as the unnamed enemy ~"alks the earth. And I know from personal experience that they ~vi/l die before they fail in their duty. The Unicorn, because the Khan knows no rest, and his ambition knows no bounds. And the Lion, because if the Unicorn go to war, so will they; an unresolved matter still lies between them."

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Suddenly, a clattcr sounded in the haI/way, and it was not a servant bringing hot coals. A young soldier wearing light armor and the insignia of the Legions burst into the room and dropped to one

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knee. "Pardon, sensei, but I am ordered to inform you that the Khan

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has crossed into the lkoma lands with the Unicorn Clan army. All

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of your students are to report to their units immediately and await further orders." Well, so much (or an interlude ofpeace. Shouts and excited mur-

murs filled the room. Masuhiro deflated, Gnd he could barely make himself heard: "Very well, then. You how your ins/ructions, ali of you. Class is dismissed until fur/her notice." 11 was hardly necessary, anyway. At the news that the Lion and the Unicorn \Vere once again at war, the students jumped up, gathered up their belongings and began to ~Ie out, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Masuhiro was one o( the Vel)' last to leave the seminar room. The student who had rolled his eyes moments be(ore (ell in beside him. "Well, sensei, it looks like the Khan has made a soothsayer o( you." Masuhiro chuckled, but with unusually little mirth. "Yes, Ryunnosuke-kun. Can't you tell how pleased I am about tho!?"

Though it is an ingrained habit of mind for most Rokugani to believe that the Empire enjoyed a Thousand Years of Peace between the Day of Thunder and the Clan \"lar of the early Twelfth Century, no one could plausibly claim that the art of war played no role in shaping Rokugan during that time. Certainly, it has been one of the constants of Rokugani life since then, bearing out the chronicler's old lament that history is simply a string of one accursed thing after another. Furthermore, no samurai worthy of his daisho would feel anything less than genuine pride in serving his Family and his Clan under arms. It is rare that a Great Clan bushi would not find himself called to military service in some form at some point in his life. Even shugenja, the vast majority of whom see

themselves as peaceful souls devoted to knowledge and communing with the divine, are called upon to support their Clan's armies with their particular talents. For Rokugani samurai, war - training for it, planning it, steeling themselves for it and fighting it - is an integral part of their duty and, thus, their llves. But it is also Widely acknowledged that talent for the art of war is not spread equally among the Great Clans. Three Clans in particular surpass the others: the Crab, the Lion and the Unicorn. Although they are very different in temperament and history, these Clans are nonetheless in their own various ways masters of waging war, and are universally respected - if not {eared - as battlefield opponents. This book examines each of these Clans through the prism of the art of war to reveal something of the soul of each, as well as a more general understanding of warfare and the role that it plays in the life of the Empire. Each of the follOWing chapters focuses on a Single Clan: first, the Crab; then, the Lion; and finally, the Unicorn. Each chapter describes at length the military establishments of each, induding the organization, composition and deployments of their armies; their strategic and tactical thinking and how their constituent Families approach warfare; and how their elite military units, strongholds and military-oriented dojo reflect their history and innermost nature. Selected NPCs give some glimpse into the sort of soldiers who make up these famous military units. Finally, you will find an assortment of new Basic and Advanced Schools, Paths and Dojo Benefits to help create your own characters who will take the traditions and reputations of the elite units of these Clans upon their own shoulders. Enter, then, into the hearts and souls of the Crab Clan, the Lion Clan and the Unicorn Clan. Gird yourself with their armor, take up their weapons, stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their best warriors, heed the call of their taisa and rigunshokan. Fight for victory, glory and the honor of the Clan. Become one with the Masters of War.

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Timeline: Wars in Rokugani t-listory A samurai is a servant, first and foremost, and according to tradition, their first and most sacred duty is to die in the name of their lord if necessary. It is a fate to which most bushi aspire, and even though those who follow the path of a shugenja are ostensibly people of peace, there are many among their number who would relish a similarly honorable death. Fortunately - or unfortunately. depending upon whom you ask - the Empire's history has been full of war and conflict, giving the samurai of Rokugan plenty of opportunity for selfsacrifice. Despite that Rokugan is often described as enjoying a "thousand years of peace" until the early Twelfth Century, scarcely a generation has gone by since the dawn of the Empire in which some sort of conflict was not taking place. That an era with such a name continues to exist in historical records is more a feat of creative record-keeping than anything else, as only the absence of an outright declaration of war allows historians to maintain the fa~ade.

A Battle. But Not a War There are numerous significant conflicts from Rokugani history that are not included in this list. Conflict between the Empire and the Shadowlands, for example, is essentially constant and exists with no respite or any end realistically in sight. Other major engagements with an extremely short duration, such as the Scorpion Clan Coup or the Battle of \ Vhite Stag. do not fit the criteria to be considered a war, or even a conflict; instead, they are more correctly described as a Single battle taking place over the course of a few days. For the most part, the conflicrs included in this portion of the book detail lengthy, protracted battles that reqUired the attention of entire armies for considerable periods of time.

The First yasuki War The First Yasuki \ Var took place in the Fourth Century, and was the first major conflict between two Great Clans. The war had many major consequences for Rokugani society, including an Imperial decree that formally forbade the declaration of war between two Great Clans, and the first defeCtion of a Family from one Clan to another. The war also created an ongoing feud between the Crane and the Crab. This bad blood led to innumerable border skirmishes over the centuries, a second war over the Yasuki and an ongoing conflict that history may very well remember as the Third Yasuki War. The seeds of this conflict were sown when the Crane Clan began censuring questionable practices by the Yasuki Family. The Yasuki leadership protested, claiming that they had been given leave to pursue their duties in their own manner for centuries, and that the Crane had always benefited from the fruits of their labor. The Crane Champion would not relent, however,

and this created a schism between the two. Many expected the Yasuki Daimyo to commit seppuku in protest against his superior, but that was not the Yasuki way. Instead, the Daimyo solicited the Crab for assistance, and orchestrated a seizure of several key Yasuki provinces by the Crab. \'\'hen the Crane responded angrily, the Yasuki defected to the Crab and declared their fealty to the Crab Champion. Enraged, the Crane declared war upon the Crab, and the ensuing conflict lasted for over a decade.

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TIMELINE 387 - The Yasuki Daimyo, angry over censures from the Crane Champion, secretly solicits the Crab Champion 10 seize several Yasuki holdings. The Yasuki officially defect from the Crane and throw their lot in with the Crab. The resulting fighting costs the Crane even more territory. 400 - An Imperial decree ends the war, and formally forbids open warfare between the Great Clans. It also tacitly recogniZes the Yasuki Family's allegiance to the Crab, and requires the Crab to return portions of the land they occupy to the Crane. MAJOR BELLIGERENTS; Crab vs.Crane SIGNI rJCANT ALLIANCES: None. No additional Ctans were involved.

"Rul1!1il1q ~ L1$lme Duril1g.Jhg'Vasuki War The First Yasuki V\'ar took place very early in Rokugan's history, and as the first major conflict of its kind, it created shockwaves throughout the Empire. Virtually every Great Clan took an interest in the conflict. They sent advisors and observers, many of whom only complicated matters, getting involved in ways the belligerents did not anticipate or care for. Criminal activity in the war zone rose dramatically, and the first real ron in activity began as a number of Yasuki abandoned both Clans to seek their own path. Any campaign attempting to capture the feel of this era should focus on the sense by many at that time that the Empire might be torn apart by the war as debates continued to rage in various courts about its legality and what action should be taken in response.

The Clal1 War tvtany historians consider the Clan Vlar to be the greatest, costliest war ever waged on the soil of Rokugan. Although the so called "thousand years of peace" had effectively been ended two years before with the Scorpion Clan Coup, this conflict is generally regarded as the first major war since the First Yasuki \,Var centuries beforehand. The Clan War was manipulated by the dark god Fu Leng. hut the Clans were all too eager to war with one another, and even without his influence, it seems likely that the era would have been marked by massive, costly conflict regardless. The Clan \'Var began with an ill-fated alliance between the Crab and the Shadowlands. United for the first time, these two enemy forces marched into the Empire with the intent of seizing the throne, left vacant by the ebbing strength of the Hantei Dynasty. The Crab-Shadowlands army razed many Crane and Scorpion holdings before being defeated at Beiden Pass by a force of Dragon, Unicorn, and Naga troops led by the

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ronin Toturi, the former Lion Champion. Despite their defeat, the Crab's campaign sparks fighting among the Clans throughout the Empire, much of it fomented by forces allied with the Shadowlands, ultimately leading to an unprecedented alliance of the Empire's Minor Clans and a climactic battle at the Imperial City, Orosan Uchi. In the aftermath of the war, Toruri became Emperor and founded a new Dynasty, and the Mantis were elevated to Great Clan status.

T1MELINE The following events are pivotal to the unfolding of the Clan \·Var, although obviously there is much more going on during this period than can be described here. 1123 - Scorpion shugenja Yoga Junzo opens the Black Scroll called \·Vasting Disease, spreading a crippling plague throughout the Empire and weakening virtually every Clan. 1126 - Advised by the secretly corrupt Kuni Yori, Crab Champion Hida Kisada forges a temporary alliance with the Shadowlands for the purpose of seizing the throne. 1127 - The Barrie of Beiden Pass follows a Crab campaign against the Scorpion lands and southern Crane holdings. The Clan \'Var begins in earnest after the Crab are defeated by a confederation of troops under the command of the ronin Toturi. 1127 - In an attempt to understand the Shadowlands threat facing the Empire, the Phoenix open more Black Scrolls, unknowingly releasing more of Fu Lcng's imprisoned essence in the process and giving the Shadowlands forces attacking the Empire greater power. 1 127 - The Crab armies assault Otosan Uchi only to discover that the Emperor has become possessed by Fu Leng. \Vord of this incident spreads and the Empire begins to realize the true threat facing them. 1127 - The Great Clan armies mass on the fields outside Otosan Uchi and assault the City, hoping to kill the newly mortal Fu Leng. Fu Leng is defeated, the Shadowlands are routed, and the ronin Toturi is crowned the new Emperor. MAJOR BELLIGERENTS: Crab vs. Crane. Crab vs. Scorpion. Lion vs. Crane. Empire vs. Shadowlands SIGNIFICANT ALLIANCES: Dragon and Naga, Crab and Shadowlands, Crane and Mantis, Various Minor Clans (Yoritomo's Alliance)

The Wal' Against the Dal'kness The War against the Darkness was far less distinct than other conflicts listed here, if for no other reason than for the majority of the period detailed. the Clans were unaware of the exact nature and identity of their enemy. The conmet was sparked by the machinations of an unquantifiable, primordial entity called the Lying Darkness. This entity was a portion of the universe that existed before Lady Sun and Lord Moon gave names to all things. and as a result it could take the form of anything it wished. The entity led the Clans against one another in a convoluted attempt to unmake all of creation. and return the mortal realm and even the Celestial Heavens to the primordial darkness from which it sprang. It is difficult to isolate when the Darkness' plans first began to take shape, but the conflict engendered by them erupted when its agents kidnapped Emperor Toturi 1. The Clans rapidly began casting blame on one another, and the Scorpion became the Empire's scapegoat. They were banished, cast out across the Burning Sands. bur this did little to stem the growing disquiet between the Clans. Agents of the Darkness infiltrated the Clans and replaced key advisors of many leaders and military officials. fomenting chaos everywhere. The Mantis and the Crane fought over control of the Scorpion Lands, and the Crane qUickly devolved into a civil war while the Mantis marched on the Phoenix Lands. The Dragon Champion went mad from the Darkness' influence, and inadvertently aided its minions in enacting its will. The Mota nomads from across the Burning Sands came to the Empire accompanied by the Scorpion Clan and the Kami Shinjo. galvaniZing many in the Empire to action. The Darkness even manipulated Lord Moon to manifest in the mortal realm. where he was slain and replaced by the Dragon Champion. This prompted the Lady Sun to commit jigai and she was replaced by the Crab Champion. Afterwards, the forces of the Darkness converged on the ruined troll city of Volturnum, where they planned to open Oblivion's Gate and use the artifact to destroy the spirit realms beyond. The Great Clans allied and marched through the Shadowlands to defeat both the Shadowlands and the Darkness at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate.

TIMELINE I

R,unni"!J a Game DUl'lng thl Clan Wal' The Clan \Var penod is among the most popular settings for an L5R campaign because of irs high drama and the stakes riding on the outcome of the struggle. However, it can be particularly difficult to put a group of samurai from multiple Clans together during this era due to the massive number of inter-Clan conflicts. But the Imperial bureaucracy at this time, particularly the Miya and the few ranking Emerald Magistrates with suffiCient power to assemble their subordinates, recognized [he problems facing the Empire and v'iOrked desperately to combat it. The Rokugani tradition of musha shugyo presents another viable option for creating a campaign; many samurai temporarily became ronin or underwent a warrior pilgrimage in order to rally to the banner of Totun. the charismatic Black Lion.

130 - Agents of the Lying Darkness kidnap Emperor Toturi

I. The Scorpion are blamed. and summarily exiled from the

Empire. I 130 - Dragon Champion Hitomi succumbs to the Darkness' influence and begins tattooing members of other Clans, binding them to her will and setting the Naga against the Dragon Clan. 1131 - The Lion Champion marches a large portion of her Clan's army to the \"'all to assist the Crab Clan in the recovery of Shiro Hiruma and the execution of their duties. 1131 - The Agasha Family defects to the Phoenix in shame over Hitomi's actions. I 132 - The Emperor is found alive in Phoenix Lands. Unknown to all, he has become corrupted by the Lying Darkness. 1 132 - The Mantis Clan lays siege to the Phoenix provinces. 1132 - The avatar of Lord Moon is killed, and Lady Sun kills herself in grief. Hitomi becomes the new Lady Moon and Hida Yakamo becomes Lord Sun.

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1133 - Emperor Toturi commits seppuku to purify himself from the Darkness' inOuence. 1133 - The Grear Clans wage war against the Darkness and the Shadowlands at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate deep within the Shadowlands. MAJOR BELLIGERENTS: Crane vs. Mantis, Lion vs. Unicorn, Mantis vs. Phoenix, Dragon vs. Naga SIGNIFICANT ALLIANCES: Crab and Lion

Runni~ a Harne Durit'q the War ~gall1st the Darkftess This particular era of Rokugan's history is particularly fractious and can be difficult to sort out. The best option for setting a campaign in this era is to use the Lying Darkness or those it is manipulating as direct opponents of the party. If the party is allied with the Mantis Clan, for instance, then a Darkness-corrupted Crane would be an ideal villain, or a Phoenix manipulated into a dire situation. Deception is the theme of the day, and rampant paranoia, even among party members toward one another, will set the theme in a proper manner.

The War of Spirits The War of Spirits followed the \oVar against the Darkness, and was in fact a direct result of that first conflict. In addition to a lengthy military conflict, the War of Spirits was also a major theological and philosophical struggle. On one side was [he rightful Emperor, Toturi I, endorsed by the Heavens as [he sov-

ereign of Rokugan; on the other, the returned spirit of Hantei XVI, who sought to return the Hantei Dynasty to power. The two figureheads on either side sparked intense division among many samurai in each Great Clan; traditionalists supported the rightful claim of the Hantei, while more progressive individuals supported the Toturi Dynasty. The Battle of ObliVion's Gate, which marked the end of the \,Var Against the Darkness, resulted in the return of thousands - perhaps even tens of thousands - of spirits (no one has ever determined the exact number) from the various spirit realms, among them the spirit of the despot Hantei XVI. The former Emperor, known to history as the Steel Chrysanthemum, wasted little time marshaling his forces and taking stock of the Empire. Traditionalists flocked to his banner over the initial months, and led to a years-long conflict between them and Toturi's adherents. The Battle of Beiden Pass ended the conflict, but cost the Empire one of its key trade routes through the Spine of the \'Vorld, as the surrounding mountainsides were collapsed to crush the Steel Chrysanthemum's army. After that, Hantei XVI was restricted to a small private estate in the capital city, and the \,Var of Spirits ended.

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TIMEllNE I 138 - The returned spirit of Hantei XVI publicly demands that Emperor Toturi I cede the throne to him. Toturi I refuses, and the Hantei declares war on the "usurper" Emperor. 1145 - Toturi I rewards the warrior Morita for his campaign against the spirit armies by creating the Ox Clan. Morito gathers many to his banner to increase the OedgJing Clan's size to larger than many other Minor Clans.

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MAJOR BELLIGERENTS: Loyalists vS.Traditionalists SIGNIFICANT ALLIANCES: Phoenix and Spirits

RUlJnil!!-I .a Ci9me p'uring the ~War oLSp.r.ts The vVar of Spirits is a period rife with conflict and confusion. None of the Great Clans were directly at war with one another, although many Phoenix were blackmailed into cooperating with the Steel Chrysanthemum because many of the Clan's children had been kidnapped.

The Yobanjin Incursion The conflict referred to in historical accounts as the Yobanjin Incursion is only the second major conflict the Empire has ever had whh forces beyond its borders, and it lasted significantly longer than the Battle of vVhite Stag several centuries earlier. Among many other distinguishing features of this con(Jjct was the rise to fame of Toturi Tsudao, the eldest legitimate child of Emperor Toturi I, and the woman who would eventually become Empress Toturi II. It was also the first major engagement to be waged extensively by the Imperial Legions rather than the Great Clan affilies. The Yobanjin Incursion began with an unprecedented event: the unification of numerous Yobanjin tribes under a Single warlord. The Yobanjin tribes, normally fractious and at odds with one another, had dwelled among the mountains north of Rokugan since the Empire was founded, with lirtle conflict other than the occasional raid by a desperate tribe. With more than a dozen tribes united under a single leader, however, they became a military threat. The Yobanjin descended upon the Phoenix provinces like a swarm of locusts, burning and looting everything in their path. The Shiba, normally stationed in the southern lands, responded as quickly as possible, but the damage was already done and the enemy entrenched. The Emperor instantly dispatched the Imperial Legions under the command of his young daughter, and for weeks the forces of Rokugan slowly pushed fonvard, defeating the gaijin at every turn and regaining mile after mile of Phoenix territory. The final battle took place near the tiny Road's End Village, and Toturi Tsudao defeated the Yobanjin warlord in personal combat.

..... MAJOR CONFLICTS: Yobanjin Alliance vs. Phoenix, Yobanjin Alliance vs. Empire SIGNIFICANT ALLIANCES: Various Yobanjin tribes, Phoenix and Imperial Legions

RlmninlJ a ~allte During the Vobaniu1 Incursion The Yobanjin Incursion is an almost completely unexplored era in Rokugan's history. The conflict has never been examined at length and as such can be heavily cus~ tomized for the needs of an individual campaign.

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The War ofthe Rich Frog

The War of Fire & Thunder

The War of the Rich Frog was, in many ways, the first of a new type of war in the Empire. It pitted the nvo greatest military powers in Rokugan against one another. and resulted in a protracted and for the most part, limited war of attrition and patience. In the treacherous post-Clan \I\far climate among the Great Clans, any conflict that risked large-scale battles between two Clans meant that at least one, possibly both, participants would deplete their resources and leave themselves wide open to attack by other Clans. Even the Lion and Unicorn, the two primary participants in the \Nar of the Rich Frog, could not risk such a thing, and as a result the conflict dragged on for nearly a full year (1 165-66) before a decisive victory was achieved. The War of the Rich Frog began over a small but prosperous city predictably called the City of the Rich Frog. Located in the narrow band of unaligned lands between Lion and Unicorn territories, the city had long been protected by the Unicorn, but was claimed as a protectorate by the Lion during the war of succession among Toturi 1'5 heirs. Five years after Toturi III took the throne, the Unicorn attacked in an attempt to retake the city. The Lion knew the attack was coming (although they did not know the exact timing), and they were eager to test their military might against the Unicorn. The two Clans fought heavily for weeks, then settled into a pattern in which the Unicorn seized Lion holdings around the city, but did not or could not roust the Lion from their occupation. The Dragon Clan became involved at the Emperor's request, and attempted to curtail the fighting, but to no avail. Ultimately, the Lion and Unicorn fought a climactic battle at the small town of Sukoshi Zutsu. The two Clan Champions met on the field of battle, and the Unicorn Champion was victorious. The Unicorn held Sukoshi Zutsu, but the Lion were awarded permanent possession of the City of the Righ Frog. effectively ending the war by Imperial decree as enforced by the Dragon Clan armies.

The \Var of Fire & Thunder, like the War of the Rich Frog that preceded it, was among the first in a new type of war waged by the Great Clans. Like many conflicts before it, the war was created by dark forces craving the destruction of the Empire; in this case. the Phoenix Clan was manipulated by subversive forces within it into a war against the Mantis Clan. It was a relatively Simple matter, as the Phoenix reacted with predictable arrogance, and the Mantis were all too eager to resume their on-again, off-again feud with the followers of Isawa. The war began when Asako Kinuye, a former Bloodspeaker, used her inOucncc to accuse the Mantis in using one of the Black Scrolls to destroy a Phoenix village. The Phoenix werc eager to believe such a thing, as it assured thcm that such a corrupt deed was not committed by one of their own. The respective strengths of the two Clans ensured that the conflict was restricted to coastal skirmishes, as the Mantis overwhelmed any Phoenix venturing far from the coast, and the Phoenix destroyed any Mantis that moved too far inland. The conflict came to an end (;... y when the Mantis Champion grew impatient and moved her fleet to the Phoenix coast, prompting a response both from the Shiba armies and the Elemental Council of Masters. The battle was interrupted by the appearance of the Dark \'Vave, a fleet of corrupted Mantis vessels, which only confirmed the suspicions of many that the conflict had been manipulated the entire time. The Dark VI/ave was largely destroyed, and the Mantis Champion was killed, as was the Phoenix Master of Earth. In the end, the Phoenix surrendered purely out of a desire to prevent more killing, and the Mantis were awarded a chain of islands off the Phoenix coast as a result of their "victory."

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MAJOR CONfliCTS: Lion vs. Unicorn, Lion vs. Dragon, Dragon vs. Unicorn SIGNIFICANT ALLIANCES: Crab and Unicorn

"'_"\Tall's length, allOWing a four-abreast column of soldiers to move qUickly and easily from one point to another. This degree of width not only allows reinforcements to move qUickly along the top of the 'Nail even while soldiers man the battlemenls, but it also adds to the fortification's overall strength. Gently tapering battlements serve to deflect enemy missiles without creating too much of a blind spot at the base of the wall. Platforms built around towers set at regular intervals proVide a stable base for siege engines, while the towers themselves serve both as communications stations and rallying points for the garrison should the enemy ever gain the top of the walls. A structure this large requires a massive foundation, and the Kaiu did not stint on that, either. The above·ground portion of the \"Jall tapers from the base to the top level for the sake of stability. And the base. in turn, is anchored in a foundation that is buried hundreds of feet into the earth below. The Hida may brag that the mountain docs not move, but when it comes to the Hida infantry who garrison the Wall, that is only true because Kaiu architects have done such a thorough and methodical job of designing the place where the Hida make their stand. Kaiu ingenuity has also made a virtue out of the necessity of creating such a huge anchor for the \,Vall. Three basement levels descend beneath ground level, each of them a maze of catacombs and deliberately disorienting tunnels. They contain cisterns and emergency storage areas, but they are mostly an intricate network of tunnels. These tunnels are something of a holdover from the original Kaiu lvVall- the Crab plan for the Battle of the Cresting Wave called for the lighter Hiruma troops to be held in reserve while the Shadowlands horde wore itself out against the Hida heavy infantry and Kuni shugenja on the battlements. Then, the Hiruma would sortie through the gates and drive them from the ficld. But for the Kaiu, such a plan was not suffiCiently cunning. \'Vhy drive the enemy from the field, when it was possible to encircle and annihilate them? They suggested digging tunnels with one end in a basement carved from the foundation of the wall, and the other emptying onto the far bank of the river. If the Hiruma could emerge in the enemy's rear, the Maw's forces would be surrounded. For anyone else, such a task would have been impossible in only 73 days, but the Kaiu managed it. This network of tunnels enabled the complete destruction of The Maw's army (and just as importantly, the destruction of the Oni Lord itself), and they served as the basis for the labyrinth that lies beneath the V\"-~II today.

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Since the dawn of Rokugani history, the Crab have understood the need for a permanent barrier to separate the Empire from the Shadowlands. Centuries before the Kaiu built their great wall, Hantei directed Hida to build an extended fortification along the southern border of the Hiruma lands in the hopes that it would keep evil at bay. And so it did - until The Maw overran the old wall and swepl through the Hiruma and Kuni provinces in the Eighth Century, bringing the enemy closer to its goal of destroying the Empire than at any time since the Day of Thunder. The first wall's ruins were lost to the Shadowlands, and even though the Hiruma have since reclaimed their ancient castle, no traces of the old wall have ever been recovered. The greal wall that shields Rokugan from the Shadowlands today was built as a reaction to the loss of that first, Hida-built wall, though not with any real forethought. In fact. its origins date from a moment when it was doubtful whether or not the Empire would have any future beyond the next dawn. The history of the Battle of the Cresting Wave is well-known by now, and it is also described elsewhere in this book. Suffice it to say that the Kaiu-rigged improvisation that was flung up in a desperate attempt to take advantage of Kuni Osaku's gallant self-sacrifice was so successful that it became the basis for the greatest engineering project ever attempted in the history of the Empire. The original fortification that the Kaiu erected was not nearly so ambitious as what it eventually became. Not even their expert engineers could attempt more in the space of 73 days than to construct a wall with battlements and siege engine platforms that was just long enough to shield Kyuden Hida from The Maw's line of advance. They chose the north bank of the Last Stand River both because that was where Hida Banuken had rallied his battered army. and also because it was a natural defensive barrier that could be augmented through their ingenuity. But as comparatively modest as it was, it worked, and well enough so that the Battle of the Cresting \Vave still stands as an excellent example of the four legs of the Crab military operating in effective concert: Hida stubbornness and the Hirurna's brooding aggression, augmented by Kuni magic attuned to fighting the Taint, and stout Kaiu engineering stopping the enemy in their tracks. It also worked well enough that there was never any debate about what was needed next: It was universally agreed that the Crab had to have a bigger, beller wall than the one that Hida had built for HameL It would mean conceding the loss of Shiro Hiruma, but it seemed at the time that there was little practical choice but to do so. And a bigger, berter wall is what the Crab - and the Empire - got. Over the generations that followed the Battle of the Cresting Wave, the Kaiu expanded and strengthened their wall. which is also sometimes called the Great Carpenter Wall. It now ex-

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come among the kami. Doing that would be an abandonment of a KilSU'S duties to the Clan. That is something that no Kirsu would ever willingly do. Yu (Courage) - As with most Lion Families, the KirsH are utterly fearless. This is not because they live for war like the Marsu, or that they have completely accepted that they might die in service to their lord like the Akodo. Rather, it is because the KilSU have seen what waits in the next world. Uniquely among the Shugenja families, they possess the ability to traverse the barriers between the spirit realms and the mortal realm. They arc able to interact wirh the spirits of their ancestors, either directly or via rituals that they can conduct in the mortal realm. The Kilsu know exactly what fate awaits them in the next world, and as a result they have absolutely no fear of death at all. lin (Compassion) - As the priests of the Lion Clan, the Kitsu are responsible for the spiritual well-being of more than a quarter-million samurai and the vast numbers of peasants Lhat serve them. The Kitsu do not coddle or foster weakness, but neither do they turn their backs when their cousins or their subordinates are in need. They regard it as a large part of their duty as priests of the kami, and like all Lion they consider their duty an inviolate part of their identity, both personal and as a Family. For the same reason, the Kitsu demonstrate mercy to their enemies: It is mandated by the Celestial Order, which they are charged by the circumstances of their birth to maintain. Of

course, while the Kitsu are relatively compassionate and merciful for Lion, they are still among the most militant shugenja Families in the Empire. Rei (Courtesy) - Allhough hardly the most courteous Family one could encounter in the Empire, the Kitsu nevertheless make certain to conduct themselves with cool politeness at all times. They have no particular attachment to the behavior in and of itself, but instead regard it as an obligation to their ancestors, who swore fealty to Akodo, and a function of lheir role within the Clan. In fact, many Kitsu regard it as a somewhat unpleasant necessity, but observe it all the same. Those who interact with the Kitsu on a regular basis would no doubt agree that they are courteous, if not particularly friendly. Meyo (Honor) - The Kitsu arc rigidly honorable. like so many other elements of their philosophy, this stems not only from their status as Lion, but also from their position as priests of the kamL They are not simply believers in the Celestial Order, they participate in it and witness it all around them on a daily basis. Honor is not a value system for them, it is very nearly a religion. and one that they understand extremely well. Furthermore, their ability to visit the spirit realms and speak with ancestors helps them see the value of honorable conduct. Makolo (Sincerity) - Sincerity is an essential element of what the Kitsu do as priests, and is absolutely essential in order for them to continue their work for the Clan. The Kitsu believe that their interaction with the kami requires that they be completely genuine at all times. They believe that deceil and deception of any sort sullies their spirit. and drives away the kamL rendering them unwilling to speak to them. Despite

the fact that Scorpion Clan shugenja have never lost the ability to speak to the kami, the Kitsu cling to this belief tenaciously, rendering them spectacularly sincere as a general rule. Chugo (Duty) - The Kitsu embrace their duty without complaint. Their ancestors were creatures of spirit and duty, and understood the devotion that their descendants \vould require all too well. The Kitsu have not disappointed their ancestors, and cling to their duties with the same ferocity that the Lion Clan expects from all of its members.

The Matsu "In my sword, the wind. In my heart, courage. In my eyes, death." - Lady Matsu in Kakita Morushijin's play, No Man's Bride

The Matsu are far and away the largest of the Lion Families; in fact, the current Imperial census identifies them as the most numerous Family in the Empire, although recent conflicts may have altered their position somewhat. Regardless, the Matsu are accustomed to viewing other Families or individuals as weaker than themselves, almost purely as a result of their superior numbers and martial training. They are, as a rule, brash, combative, and somewhat abrasive. To the Matsu, war is a religion. This is not something that they recognize consciously, nor would they take kindly to such a comparison being made. Nevertheless, war is the essence of their being in every way. They spend their entire lives in preparation for it, and when it comes upon them they embrace it with a passion that would be completely shameful if it were displayed toward almost any other activity. Older Matsu samurai recount their most heated battles as the greatest moments of their lives, and younger Matsu look forward to battle with a vibrant enthusiasm and anticipation that others might reserve for an impending marriage or a prestigious appointment to a high-ranking position. When other young samurai pray to the Fortunes and their ancestors for wisdom, guidance, or clarity, the Matsu pray for the strength to wage war in their Clan's name. Fortunately for the Matsu, their ancestors are typically happy to answer such prayers.

THE MATSU PHILOSOPHY AND THE TENETS OF BUSHIDO The Matsu have embraced Bushido with every fiber of their Family's collective being. They live for it, and they disdain any who fail to live up to their interpretation of it. This has created a problem in the past, as Matsu were often fiercely hostile toward others whom they considered to be poor samurai because they do not exemplify Bushido in the way the Matsu prefer. Objective observers have occasionally made note that the Matsu Seem to be selective in their adherence to Bushido, greatly extolling the importance of courage and duty above other tenets, particularly compassion. Regardless, the Matsu are religiously devoted to obserVing Bushido, even if their view of the code is an unusually narrow one. G! (Honesty) - Honesty is the default position for the Matsu. They believe that lies arc told by the weak to hide their weakness, by fools to cover their folly, or by cowards who seek to shield themselves from the wrath of the righteous. A Matsu is honest because he has nothing to hide, and fears nothing.

Yu (Courage) - Courage is exceptionally important to the average Matsu. The notion that he might be afraid to take a certain course of action or face a certain opponent is completely unacceptable. Young Matsu are sometimes easy to manipulate as a result of this, since they will undertake Virtually any course of action if it is suggested that they are afraid to do it. As a Matsu gets older, he recognizes the folly of this and instead will Simply take insult from whoever suggests that he is afraid, often going so far as to kill in order to defend his honor. fin (Compassion) - Compassion is not a particular concern for the Matsu. They protect and proVide for those of the lower castes who serve them, and do not persecute them as one might expect from such a belligerent and warlike Family. Beyond that, however, they are not concerned with their treatment of others. 1\ samurai must be true to himself and his lord above all, and concern for others only interferes with this dedication. The concept of shOWing mercy to an enemy is almost completely foreign to the Matsu, who typically allow defeated foes to survive only so that they are forced to live with their humiliation and may spread the word of the Matsu Family's prowess. Rei (Courtesy) - The Matsu extend courtesy only to those who have earned it, either through their actions or because of their rank. Matsu treat one another with the minimal amount of courtesy necessary, simply because it is considered a frill and something that is not important betvveen warriors with mutual respect for one another. They generally treat samurai from other Clans with contempt if they are of lower rank. with general indifference if they are of equal rank, or with proper deference if they are higher rank. This applies only to those with whom a Matsu has no personal acquaintance, of course. Those who have proven themselves to be worthy opponents or othenvise deserVing of respect for their accomplishments are treated appropriately by all Matsu, for to do othenvise would risk staining the Family's honor. Meyo (Honor) - Honor is all that matters to the Matsu. Every action a Matsu takes is weighed against his own individual sense of honor and judged worthy or unworthy according to that single standard. Only honorable actions are permitted to a Matsu. Even considering a dishonorable act is unworthy of a Matsu, and requires atonement. Makoto (Sincerity) - A Matsu who does not say exactly what he means at all times is an extraordinary rarity. There is no difference between the thought and the action of a Matsu, save for those occasions when he takes care to restrain himself from an outburst that might be inappropriate under the circumstances. Still, the Matsu are less likely to keep their true thoughts or feelings to themselves when asked than anyone else in the Empire, save perhaps for the ever-forthright Hida Family of the Crab Clan. Chugo (Duty) - Like the other Lion Families, the Matsu have no real feelings toward their duties. Duties are to be completed without question or hesitation. There is no doubt about this, nor any room for considering the ramifications of one's actions. If a Matsu is given a duty to perform by his lord, he is obligated to perform it to the best of his ability or die in the attempt. To the Matsu, there are no other acceptable outcomes.

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The,Armies of the Lion Clan The Lion armies are quite literally the basis on which all other Clan armies are constructed, and the measuring tool against which they are compared. The traditional army structure used (with some modifications) throughout the Empire is the one first conceived and implemented by the great Akodo One-Eye over a thousand years ago. That system remains in use by the Lion today. almost completely unaltered save for a few minor changes that have proven necessary due to the opponents the Lion face in the modern era.

The four armies maintained by the Lion Clan adhere strictly to the principles of war established in Akodo's treatise. Leadership, with variations made only when the writings of the Kami dictated that such things should be allowed. Fortunately for Akodo's descendants, Leadership is surprisingly vague as to when such decisions should be made, alloWing Lion officers and commanders a considerable degree of discretion as to how to alter their forces when anticipating a conflict against a known enemy_ Regardless of variation, the typical structure to which Lion armies adhere can be summarized as follows: Squadron (Guntai) - The squadron is the smallest unit deployed by the Lion when a matter that deserves military consideration arises. It is not uncommon for entire companies to be made up of squadrons that spend extended petiods of time away from the army's headquarters on duty assignments. These squadrons are generally referred to as patrols. Unless speCifically modified for a particular mission, a Lion squadron consists of twenty men and their gunso, or sergeant. The twenty men in a squadron hold the rank of hohei, or private. One is typically selected to aid the gunso, and is promoted to the rank of nikutai, or corporal. Company (Kaisha) - Although squadrons can operate on their own, the company is the basic building block of the Lion armies. Lion companies typically spend a considerable amount of time training to work as a cohesive unit, and to work in conjunction with other companies, ensuring that no matter the size of the force, the individual companies within it are always prepared for the engagement. A company consists of seven squadrons and is led by a chui, or lieutenant, and his command staff. A standard company command staff consists of five additional officers. Reserve Company (Yobihci Kaisha) - Reserve companies are the only units within the Lion military where customization is considered perfectly normal. Akodo envisioned these groups as flexible combinations of specialized troops that could support the line infantry companies, and that philosophy has served the Lion well for over a thousand years. A reserve company typically consists of six squadrons of varying types: two squadrons of shugenja and yojimbo, trained to use their abilities in conjunction with military operations, h"'o squadrons of military engineers, and h\'O squadrons of cavalry. A reserve company is commanded by a chui and his command staff in the same manner as a regular company.

l-egion (Daibutai) - The prevailing philosophy among Lion tacticians is that any battle, no matter how severe, can be won by a single Lion legion - albeit under the right circumstances and if it is properly led. Lion legions are autonomous entities, and are typically only combined together when battles of a significant scale are anticipated. (The Lion, however, anticipate such things with regularity, so it is not uncommon for legions to be deployed en masse.) A legion consists of four companies and one reserve company, which amounts to roughly 750 troops commanded by a taisa, or captain. A taisa and his legion answer to a shireikan (commander), and beyond that to the rikugunshokan, or general, of the anny to which the legion belongs. Army (Go-hatamoto) - The army is the largest military organization considered to be a single entity by the Lion Clan. The Ikoma and Akodo Families both maintain a single army, and the Matsu Family maintains hvo. A go-hatamoto consists of approximately 48 legions, meaning that each of the four Lion armies consists of approXimately 36,000 troops, for a total of 144,000 trained soldiers willing to go to war on behalf of their Cian at a moment's notice. Of course, these numbers fluctuate according to battle losses and non-combat attrition, so it is rare for all four armies to be operating at full capacity. But they seldom fall below three-quarters strength and do not remain at that level for very long: the Lion will not endure such a thing.

Daimyo VS. aeneral Technically, the Daimyo of a Lion Family is the rikugunshokan of the anny maintained by that Family. This is obviously not always the case, as the Matsu Family Daimyo could scarcely command two armies engaged in different locations simultaneously, and the duties of a Daimyo can often remove them from the situation long enough to require a replacement. In fact, a Daimyo who is not particularly skilled in the realm of battle (such as {koma Korin's predecessor, the courtier Ikoma Sume) may require the help of a permanent military aide to exercise actual command of the army that is his by right. For this reason, all armies maintain an unofficial position of "Chief Shireikan," who assumes command in the absence of the rikugunshokan.

The }\kodo }\rmy HEADQ!)ARTERS: Shiro Akodo RIKUGUNSHOKAN: Akodo Shigetoshi, Daimyo of the Akodo CHIEF SHIREIKAN: Akodo Sakin OTHER SHIREIKAN: Akodo Kobi. Akodo Kuemon NOTABLE LEGION COMMANDERS: Akodo l\nshiro, Akodo Sadahige, lkoma Uchito There is a saying among the Great Clans that no army led by an Akodo has ever lost a battle. This is hyperbole, of course, but in truth the saying is really not as inaccurate as all that. The Akodo are, without question, the greatest tactical minds in the Empire, rivaled by a handful of other groups, but never surpassed. The Akodo army is the precise instrument of the Lion, cutting away enemies qUickly and exactly, leaVing little or nothing to create future difficulties.

It was the Akodo who stood against the Crane for hundreds

of years prior to the current alliance between the two Clans (although admittedly the Matsu were involved as well). Under the Akodo's direction. the Lion lost territory to the Crane less than ten times over the course of a thousand years, and in almost every instance that territory was retaken in relatively short order. Of all the Lion armies. the Akodo have the highest number of non-Lion among their ranks, although that number is still quite small. There are many in the Empire who are eager to send their young samurai to train with the legendary Akodo tacticians. but there is a price for such a boon: those who train with the Akodo are expected to serve alongside them in the Lion army for a minimum of one year. Traditionally, the Akodo army uses tactics familiar to the entire Empire. They are, to a large extent, the instrument against which all other armies are measured. They do not often introduce revolutionary or even innovative new practices into their repertoire of military maneuvers; rather, it is the means by which they combine existing maneuvers, and the incredible skill with which they implement them. that makes the Akodo such a dangerous foe. Every single samurai on the field knows exactly what is expected of them, and how they fit into the larger battle plan. In fact, there have been several occasions when an Akodo commander has been killed or incapacitated in some way, but his army continued executing his plan without pause.

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Since the retirement of the legendary Akodo Ginawa many years ago, the quiet intensity of his replacement, Akodo Shigetoshi, has been the driving force behind the Akodo Fami~ Iy and its army. Like many of his bloodline, Shigetoshi eschews the limelight, preferring instead to focus on the execution of his duties. There are certain elements within the Family who believe the Akodo should resume the Clan's Championship. The first to suggest such an idea to Shigctoshi was instantly executed for treason, and no one has ever spoken of it since. Under his guidance, the Akodo represented the Lion on the Dragon front dUring the \"'ar of Silk & Steel. and it was a division of the Akodo army that withdrew to the Imperial capital of Toshi Ranbo in order to defend it from the Khan's assault at the beginning of 1169. The Akodo appeared to have the Unicorn defeated, but were betrayed by Mantis within the capital and the Khan's army gained access to the city despite their efforts. It is not a matter that Shigetoshi or his officers have forgotten. Present Strength: After participating in the War of Silk & Steel and the Khan's assault on Toshi Ranbo, the "kodo have suffered significant but not ovenvhelming losses. As of the summer of 1169. while the Matsu and Ikoma plan an assault on the Unicorn provinces, the recovering Akodo are tasked with protecting the Lion homeland, along with the second Matsu army. The Akodo army currently stands at roughly 28.000 men, or roughly three-quarters of its normal full strength.

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TABLE 2.1: ELITE UNITS IN THE AKODO ARMY

First Legion, First Company First Legion, Second Company Fourth Legion, Fourth Company

Akodo Elite Guard Akodo Scouts Deathseekers

Eighth Legion, First Company Ikama Wardens Thirtieth Legion, Reserve Company lion Elite Spearmen Thirty-First Legion, Reserve Company Lion Elite Spearmen Thirty-Second Legion, Reserve Company Lion Elite Spearmen

The Ikoma .Army HEADQ1lARTERS: Kyuden Ikoma RI KUGUNSHOKAN; Ikoma Korin, Daimyo of the Ikoma CHIEF SHIREIKAN: lkoma Kosaku OTHER SHIREIKAN: Matsu \·Vatako NOTABLE LEGION COMMANDERS; Ikoma Chikao OTH ER NOTABLE OFFICERS: Ikoma Fujimaro, Senior Chui The Ikoma army has the distinction of being the most defensively-oriented of all the Lion armies. Although this is a strong statement. it should still be taken in context of the Lion's overall reputation and military capability. Even the least attackoriented of the Lion armies is easily the equal of most any other Clan's forces on the offensive. Until the past decade or so, the Ikoma had little need to conduct offensive operations against other Clans, given that their sale purpose is to defend the Lion's western provinces. The Unicorn Clan is the only potential opponent in that region, and historically, the Unicorn have been the Lion's allies. The two Clans only became enemies follOWing the unprecedented Unicorn attack that launched the War of the Rich Frog. Since that time, however, the Ikoma army has become home to thousands of hardened veterans, soldiers who have seen their provinces ravaged by the Khan's forces, and who have vowed that such a thing will never happen again no matter the cost. Prior to his ascension as temporary regent of the Clan Championship, the noted tactician [kama Otemi spent some time in command of the Ikoma army. During that time, Otemi made numerous changes to the manner in which the army was constructed and in which it conducted itself on the battlefield, bringing it far more in line with the traditional Lion model of an army than ever before, while still maintaining its strong emphasis on defensive warfare. FollOWing Otemi's ascension, the new Family Daimyo Ikoma Karin assumed command. A veteran of the Lion scouts and a pragmatist, Korin has made a number of minor changes, mostly in how the Family's elite units are trained and utilized. Some of Korin's detractors privately criticize his new tactics as unconventional; a few even use the term clandestine (that is to say, vaguely dishonorable). But none can argue with their effectiveness.

Prescnt Strength: At the time of the Khan's assauh on the Ikoma provinces during the winter of 1168, a majority of the Ikoma forces were distributed along various stretches of the border and major strongholds. Nevertheless, the Khan's attack took a brutal toll on their component legions, and the Ikoma are still recovering. Their current manpowcr stands at approximately 23,000 men, or roughly 60% of normal strength. Unit Structure: The Ikoma use a relatively traditional structure for their military, with the only truly notable exceplion being a significantly higher proportion of cavalry than is normal among the Lion armies. This is the result of a number of factors, not the least of which is the Ikoma Family's tradition of providing wardens to patrol the roadways of the entire Lion territory, as well as their proximity to thc Unicorn Clan and the constant need to prepare for combat against them. Since the ascension of Ikoma Korin to the position of Oaimyo and rikugunshokan. the army has increased the scope and breadth of its scouting division as well.

After Nimuro's death, Ikoma Otemi assumed command and initiated a review of the army's tactical doctrines. Although he lacked Nimuro's charisma, his tactical brilliance refreshed and renewed the army. Now, with Nimuro's son Yoshino in command, possessing both his father's charisma and the tactical advice of his chief shireikan Otemi, the army is functioning as a cohesive unit in a manner perhaps never before equaled in the Family's history. That Yoshino has vowed to carve a path through the Unicorn Lands and seize Shiro Mota in vengeance for the Khan's bloody campaign has only increased the zeal of the soldiers who follow him. Present Strength: The First Matsu Army bore the brunt of the heavy fighting againsL the Khan's forces during the push to oust the Khol army from the Lion provinces. and took appreciable damage as a result. Still. they fared better than many expected, owing greatly to the fact that the Unicorn were in full retreat at the time and avoided engagement as much as possible. As of the summer of 1169, the first Matsu army boasts slightly over 25,000 men, well under their normal strength of 36,000, but still strong enough to prepare for an assault on the Unicorn Lands. Unit Structure: The Matsu utilize a much larger number of Lion Heavy Regulars and Lion Heavy Elite units than the armies of the other Lion Families. Typically, the Matsu employ scouts, cavalry, and other units that need more freedom of movement and the ability to cover large amounts of territory very qUickly as their light troops. Still, there are Lion Regulars and Lion Elite among thcir ranks; they Simply do not stand out among all the others. Beyond that, the Matsu have the traditional number of specialized units scattered throughout their ranks, although for the most part they can be found within the elite ranks of the first ten legions. The most famous units in the First Matsu Army arc listed in Table 2.3.

TABLE 2.2: ELITE UNITS IN THE IKOMA ARMY

All Legions, Command Staff First Legion, First Company First Legion, Second Company First Legion, Second Company, Squadrons 1, 2, and 3 Sixth Legion, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Companies Eleventh through Twentieth Legions

Ikoma Heralds Ikoma Elite Guardians Scout Legion Fujimaro's Legion Lion Elite Spearmen Ikoma Wardens

The First Mats" Army HEADQ!JARTERS: Crossroads Castle in Tonfajutsen RI KUGUNSHOKAN: Matsu Yoshino, Lion Clan Champion CHIEF SHIREIKAN: Ikoma Otemi (currently incapacitated) OTH ER SH IREI KAN: Matsu Yokuya (temporary chief shireikan) NOTABLE LEGION COMMANDERS: Matsu Eishi

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First through Tenth Legions, Command Staff First Legion, First Company First Legion, Second Company Third Legion Fourth Legion, Fourth Company Fifth Legion, Second Company Fifth Legion, Third Company

The First Matsu army serves as the personal army of the Lion Champion, a tradition that began when the Lion anointed its first Matsu Clan Champion centuries ago. The number of Matsu Champions since that time has been quite small, bUI the tradition has endured. Technically, the First Matsu army falls 10 the Clan Champion to command regardless of circumstances, but often the Champion chooses to forego that authority in placc of allOWing the Matsu to choose their own commander. ThiS is a gesture of respect that has gained many non-I\'1atsu Champions instant respect from the normally reserved Matsu Family leadership. In the recent past. only the legendary warrior Kitsu Motso chose to lake personal command of the First Matsu army during his brief tenure as Clan Champion, bUI his prowess in battle and his eagerness to engage the Lion's enemies more than made up for what many Matsu privately conSidered presumption on his part. The First Matsu army has undergone a number of changes in the past decade. Malsu Yoshino's father. the legendary hero Matsu Nimuro, transformed it into the fighting force it is today. He did not introduce new tactics or a new philosophy of warfare, but the sheer force of his personality inspired the Matsu above and beyond their normal heights of milil3ry excellence.

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The Second Mats" Army HEADQ!)ARTERS: Shiro Marsu RIKUGUNSHOKAN: MalSu Kcnji, Oaimyo of the Matsu CHIEF SHIRElKAN: Matsu Takenao OTHER SHIREIKAN: Matsu Atasuke NOTABLE LEGION COMMANDERS: Matsu Aoiko, First Legion Taisa OTHER NOTABLE OffiCERS: Ma[su Ferishi, Chui of the Lion's Pride \oVhile the First Matsu Army serves as Ihe private army of the Clan Champion, the Second Matsu Army is largely concerned with the defense of the Matsu provinces as well as the Kitsu provinces to the north. Static defense is a somewhat ironic purpose for an army of Matsu samurai, since their reputation as a Family rests so firmly on their aggreSSiveness in the face of

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the Legions, the first ten Imperial Legions were known as the Emerald Legions, and were essentially the private army of the Emerald Champion. The First Legion answered only to him, the Ruby Champion, or the Emperor. Even after the reorganization, the First Legion retained an unusual degree of autonomy within the new structure, following only the direction if its commander and the Emperor. although proper deference was shown to the Emerald Champion if he requested the Legion's service for any reason. Kitsu Dejiko's history with the First Legion has been long and distinctive. \.vhen she was still a young member of the Lion's Pride, she had the good fortune to meet and train alongside the Emperor's oldest child, Toturi Tsudao. Tsudao was greatly impressed with Dejiko's skills (although somewhat troubled by her fiery temperament), and when she was appointed the head of the newly reorganized First Legion. Dejiko was among the first she recruited into her personal command staff. Dejiko served for years, until Tsudao's tragic death. After her death, Tsudao's command staff was reassigned throughout the Legions. Dejiko found herself appointed as commander of the Seventh Legion, while one of Tsudao's other aides, Toturi Miyako, was given command of the First. This lasted for several more years. during which time Dejiko finally mastered the lessons taught her by Tsudao, and matured into an efficient, brilliant officer. When Miyako left her command, Kirsu Dejiko was appointed to take her place; because of the First Legion's prestige, what might seem to be a lateral move was really a promotion. Although the letter of the law indicates that the Imperial Legions me all equal in rank and status, the First Legion is certainly the first among equals. The soldiers serving it are

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among the finest in the Empire. and often have trained with special elite units within their own Clan before receiving the appointment to serve in the Legions. Dejiko expects absolute dedication and efficiency from her soldiers, and they rarely disappoint. The entire legion, Dejiko included, is currently fuming over the fact that they were conducting raids on various bandit groups near the southern Shinomen Mori when the Khan attacked, and consequently missed the battle at Toshi Ranbo altogether. They are eager to redeem themselves from the shame of their absence from that fight. which they consider to be a serious stain on their honor.

The Seventh Legion HEADQ.!)ARTERS: Kyuden Seppun RIKUGUNSHOKAN: Toturi Shigekawa SHIREIKAN: Hida Sakamoto The Seventh Legion is second only to the Ninth in the number of cavalry that it can field in any given engagement. Toturi Shigekawa, the current commander, was a student of Unicorn tactics prior to his Imperial service. He was one of a handful of Lion dedicated to devising counter-strategies in rhe event of a long-term conflict with the Unicorn, and over time he came to appreciate the virtues of their cavalry tactics. \·Vhcn he was appointed to the Imperial Legions, he filed that information away for the future. Years later, when he became rigunshokan of the Ninth Legion, he used the powers bestowcd upon the position by Toturi I to radically reorganize it. dcvoting fully half of his allotted troops to cavalry. The result has been a highly mobile, extremely effective legion well known for swift attacks and

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rapid strategic movement. The recent unpleasantness in Toshi Ranbo found the Legion well away from the Imperial City when the battle broke out, in the southern Crane provinces. Shigekawa drove his men nearly to the breaking point in an attempt [0 return to the Imperial City, although the engagement was over long before they arrived. Since then, Shigekawa has petitioned for and been granted permission to base the Ninth at Kyuden Seppun in order to be closer to the capital. This has been beneficial for both the Legion and the Seppun Family, who can now focus their efforts and resources on Toshi Ranbo with their home so well protected.

Lion strategy and Tactics The Lion are consummate tacticians. There is no potential opponent anywhere in Rokugan. no matter how remole or obscure, that the Lion have not analyzed extensively to determine the most effective means of countering their strengths and defeating them on the battlefield. Despite what many think. the Lion are not so arrogant as to hold blind faith in their established tactics, and they are more than willing to modify their battlefield practices to suit the opponent in question. Not only that, but they have a long tradition of remembering and studying their infrequent defeats, so that they do not repeat them. This is not to say that they do not cherish their tradi-

tiona I means of warfare; far from it. Rather, the Lion utilize a number of traditional approaches to war, and combine those different tactics into unique blends suited to 'whomever they are facing at the time.

TH E CRAB CLAN There have been very few occasions when the Lion and Crab have come into conflict. and those few instanccs havc always been small in scale and extremely brief. The Crab arc among the Lion's most rcspected peers. for they wage war on a daily basis and arc frequently unappreciated by other Clans who do not have a proper respect for their burdens. Nevertheless, Ihe inexhauslible Lion tacticians have always prepared contingency plans should war with the Crab ever arise, and they were expanded after the Battle of Beiden Pass 50 years ago, when the Crab allied with the Shadowlands and very nearly reached the Lion Lands. First and foremost, the Lion recognize that the Crab are more experienced than any force in Rokugan at withstanding a prolonged assault. It is virtually impossible to defeat the Crab by overwhelming them with superior numbers or sheer ferocity, which is of course an approach that the Lion have used against a number of different opponents ovcr the centuries. Against the Crab. however, the Clan's tacticians hypothesize that the Lion forces must be patient and outmaneuver their enemy, as a traditional approach will simply dash the Lion forces to pieces against the stony Crab defense. The Lion reason that thc key to defeating the Crab in battle is to prevent them from establishing a defensible position. Doing so denies them their greatest strength, which is static

defense and their sheer unwillingness to admit defeat. When they must fight on the move, the Crab become at least marginally more vulnerable to attack, and can be worn down more easily through conventional strategies. Mobility is a key Crab weakness. The Hida have even fewer cavalry resources than the Lion, after all, and their heavily-armored infantry cannot move quickly. The Hiruma are known for their nimbleness, but they tend to operate away from the main battlefield, before and after the fight. Rapid strikes by mobile units are key in exploiting this weakness. The wardens and Lioness Legion are among those groups most often utilized for this strategy, augmented by the occasional odd units like the Matsu Beastmasters or the Lion Elite Spearmen. One essential clement of battlc with the Crab that cannot be ignored is the Hida Berserkers, and every Crab army has one full legion of them. These are the only units in the Empire that can truly be compared to the Deathseekers, and the two are very similar in many respects. The simplest means of dealing with these nearly unstoppable shock troops is to pit them against the Deathseekers. Doing so, however, eliminates the tactical advantage of the Deathseekers in the first place, and requires other troops to be moved to the front lines in order to compensate, which in turn creates a sort of cascade effect that can alter an army's entire deployment. FOltunately, the Lion have planned these engagements out well in advance, and have contingencies ready should a conflict with the Crab arise.

THE CRANE CLAN Historically, the Lion have had no more frequent or vehement opponents than their neighbors the Crane. The feud between the two Clans was born over a thousand years ago, when Lady Matsu fought the upstart Kakita in the first Emerald Championship. While the two Clans have put aside their enmity for the present, and are in fact staunch allies, the Lion still remember the methods that have served them best over the centuries of warfare with the descendants of Doji and Kakita. The foremost principle the Lion favor when facing the Crane is not to rise to the inevitable baiting by their commanders. This has proven disastrous time and time again, as the Crane commander taunts his Matsu counterpart into a duel, defeats him, and then leads his army to victory over the leaderless Lion forces. Therefore, Lion commanders maintain a respectable distance from the front line when facing the Crane, communicaUng their orders to their units and subordinates through signalmen and runners. Some Matsu consider this tactic distasteful, but the Akodo regard it as prudent as well as efficient. Related to the practice of having officers pointedly avoid duels with Crane commanders, the Lion have noticed the practice of highly specialized Crane warriors used specifically to intercept and eliminate key units in Lion formations, disrupting tactics and casting the field into disarray. The most notable of such specialized units are the Kenshinzen duelists, who are deployed against elite Lion units to hinder them by defeating their leaders in duels. Other such targeted units include the Daidoji Iron V\1arriors and the Asahina Archers, both of whom are trained to target battlefield commanders and can accomplish a similar result. The Lion answer this through use of targeted elite units of their own, typically Ikoma wardens or Deathseekers. The wardens use their superior mobility and speed to intercept and de-

stroy dangerous Crane units, while the Deathseekers can simply be used without concern for attrition, and at the very least entangle enemy units until such time as they can be properly dealt with. Given the Lion armies' superior numbers on the battlefield, perhaps the greatest difficulty that they have encountered from the Crane over the centuries has been the unconventional (some might say dishonorable) tactics employed by the Daidoji. While the rank and file of the Iron Cranes are a difficult enough opponent on the battlefield, when their formations and tactics are supplemented by extensive traps, modification of the landscape, and even sabotage (as some suggest), it can complicate matters considerably. After several unfortunate incidents, the Lion have grudgingly admitted that swift entry to the battlefield with the intent of crushing their foe can be a detrimental tactic to use against a prepared Crane force. Extensive use of scouting has become more commonplace in such situations. Once again. this is a matter of contention between the Matsu and Akodo, with the former admitting only grudgingly that the tactic saves lives and has a dramatic effect on the battle's outcome.

THE DRAGON CLAN The Dragon Clan and the Lion Clan have fought each other many times, and their wars have ended poorly for the Lion surpriSingly often. It is not that the Dragon military is so superior to the Lion's, but the Dragon often seem to have luck on their side. Failing that - and much more infuriating to the Lion than bad luck - the Dragon have taken advantage of the geography of their lands in ways that the Lion have had a hard time defeating. The Dragon are a maddening opponent for the Lion for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the Dragon seem to hew to their own idiosyncratic standard of honor, eschewing the conventions that the Lion and so many others across the Empire hold in such high regard. The Lion Families would hold great respect for the Mirumoto - a Family of hardy, practical warriors with no fear of death - but for the fact that they so frequently and so easily set aside Bushido for the counsel of their own consciences. It makes them unpredictable opponents for the Lion tacticians, who treat the art of war with such care and precision. Terrain is another significant problem for the Lion when facing the Dragon, and perhaps the single greatest obstacle in their path to victory over the followers of Togashi. Any battle on Dragon lands is quite literally an uphill battle. The mountain passes are exceptionally narrow, are not well mapped by anyone other than the Dragon, and can prove difficult to navigate with any force larger than a squadron. Advancing through the Dragon Lands is therefore painstakingly slow, and made even slower by the ease with which an invading army can be ambushed. The Mirumoto Family's archers and the notoriously militant Tamori Family's shugenja can make advancing through geographical chokepoints impossible without staggering losses. In short, the Dragon know how to make the terrain their friend, and that is why military campaigns against the Dragon that have ventured farther north than Shiro Kitsuki have so often ended in failure.

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Lion and their Crane allies used this strategy in the \ Var of Silk & Steel. It was successful to a certain extent, but it would have worked better had the siege nor begun shortly after the harvest season. Had it begun earlier, before the crops had been taken in and properly stored, the Dragon might well have been driven into starvation during the long winter months. This fact has not gone unnoticed by Lion tacticians.

THE MANTIS CLAN Alone among the true Great Clans, the Mantis have never fought more than very small skinnishes against the Lion, and even they have been recent developments. The two Clans simply have too little overlap in their areas of influence for there to have been any serious conflict between the two. Their conflicts are primarily philosophical in nature, and have remained largely in the domain of the courts. These conflicts have been quite heated, however, and if the two ever went to war, unlikely as that may be, the fighting would be fierce and fueled by considerable hatred on both sides. The predominant problem Lion tacticians face when considering the Mantis is the Mantis' strength at sea and the protection and mobility this gives them. Although the number of Lion samurai dwarfs that of the Mantis (the Marsu Family alone contains a larger number of samurai than all three Families of the Mantis Clan combined), the Mantis possess a fleet and the expertise to use it that the Lion cannot match or even approach. This makes it impossible for the Lion to strike directly at the Yoritomo Family, the leaders and most numerous of the Mantis. Any attempted attack on the Islands of Silk and Spice, the Yoritomo heartland, would be crushed by the Mantis navy. By contrast, the Lion have but a single naval vessel capable of combat: the Deathless, an ancient but serviceable war ship heavily plated with iron armor. It was recovered by the Lion after centuries of disuse, and was formerly used to patrol the bay of Otosan Uchi. Unfortunately, formidable though the Deathless is, even the most optimistic Lion tacticians recognize that it could and would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers long before it reached the islands, and the Lion simply do not have the infrastructure necessary to support it with additional vessels. The Mantis' naval prowess gives them the ability to land just about anyWhere along the coast that they wish, but the Lion do not worry much about this because their territorial holdings lie well inland. Lion tacticians estimate that a direct assault on their holdings by Mantis forces is so unlikely as to be virtually impossible. Any encounter between the two Clans' forces is likely to either be an engagement in an urban setting, such as what recently took place between the Akodo army and the Mantis in Toshi Ranbo, or the Lion marching upon the Tsuruchi and Mochi provinces, which arc the only Mantis holdings on the mainland. Even here. geography creates a problem for Lion military planners because both Families reside in the Spine of the vVorld Mountains, where the rugged terrain would make it relatively easy for the defenders to harry a superior attacker with missile fire or a magical onslaught.

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THE PHOENIX ClAN The Phoenix Clan has proven a most exasperating opponent in the handful of battles the Lion have fought against them. That a Clan of self-professed pacifists have caused the greatest Clan of warriors in the Empire such difficulty is a sore point with many Lion. and the Phoenix are among the most frequent hypothetical opponents put forth in the training sessions of young Lion tacticians. Even though they arc the least martial of the Great Clans, the Phoenix still pose unusual problems as a battlefield opponent, each of which has been exhaustingly analyzed by generations of Akodo and Ikoma officers in an attempt to discover the ideal solutions to them. The first and most obvious aspect of war against the Phoenix that any potential opponent must consider is that Clan's absolute and unquestioned mastery of magic. The Phoenix have at least twice as many shugenja as any other Clan, and there are very few among the Isawa. Agasha, and Asako who are not trained in some way to apply their skills for the good of the Clan. This often includes military applications, although the Lion continue to be disgusted by the notion that many of these shugenja consider themselves pacifists and are reluctant to use their powers directly against their enemy. Instead, the Phoenix modify the battle's environment to suit their needs. The earth itself pitches and rolls in answer to the Isawa's summons. \Vinds and lighting appear from nowhere, fire divides soldiers from their commanders, and sudden floods can wash away entire companies. The Lion have Virtually no answer to these tactics, save for the magic of a handful of the most powerful Kitsu shugcnja. Otherwise, the only taclic at the Lion's disposal is to close with the shugenja's Shiba guardians and defeat them as qUickly as possible, making it more difficult for their shugenja to wield magic on the batrlefield on a large scale. Magic is not the only consideration when planning a battle with the Phoenix. The Shiba bushi who comprise the bulk of any Phoenix force. although vastly outnumbered by the samurai of a true Lion army, can be quite problematic. The Shiba fighting style is highly defensive, and works extremely well when multiple Shiba fight alongside one another. Their squadron level tactics are exceptional, and can hold even rhe withering assault of the fiercest Matsu legions, at least for a short time.

THE SCORPION ClAN Other than the Crane (and of late the Unicorn), history records no enemy whom the Lion hate more than the so-called Clan of Secrets. The Scorpion are everything the Lion despise, a grotesque reminder of the depths to which a samurai can fall if his honor is nOl strong enough. Their numbers are Significantly less than those of the Lion, and any direct confrontation between the two would almost certainly result in a Lion victory. Unfortunately. Scorpion tactics cannot be easily anticipated or countered, by the simple fact that so many of them are almost completely alien to the mindset of an honorable samurai. What makes the situation all the more maddening is that the Scorpion possess that most dangerous of virtues: patience. They can, and often do, make long-term plans that take years or even decades to come to fruition, and that can make planning successful military engagements against them extremely difficult.

The most important thing to remember when fighting the Scorpion is that nothing can be taken at face value. This is not to say that Lion commanders are encouraged to second-guess themselves or spend an inordinale amounl of time considering every action; the poisonous effect that Scorpion misdirection and strategic deception can have on the mind is well-documented, and indecision is a weakness that the Lion never allow among their highest-ranking officers. Instead, commanders are conditioned to have at least one contingency plan in place for any particular operation. A Lion officer with orders in hand may have as many as three plans in place for dealing with counter-moves from the Scorpion. Another major concern when dealing with the Scorpion is the constant threat of that most treacherous of practices, assassination. The Scorpion are notorious for infiltrating shinobi and other stealthy operatives into the enemy ranks and using poison, ambush. and any number of other unsavory methods to strike - methods that no honorable Clan would ever embrace under any circumstances. The Scorpion excel at these activities, and are capable of crippling an army before the first blow is struck. Assassination is relatively easy to deal with by increasing the protection afforded to Lion commanders, although many of them dislike having large yojimbo details because of the implication that they arc incapable of protecting themselves. To deal with the threat of infiltration by Scorpion agents, the Lion temporarily reassign a significant number of magistrates

to their armed forces. One accompanies each sizable unit, and the hope is that their powers of perception will allow them to detect Scorpion plots before they begin. Poison is more difficult, but when facing war against the Scorpion. the Lion mandate that all water and food supplies be heavily guarded, and that individual soldiers carry as much of their own supplies as possible, thus decreasing the possibility of mass poisoning by sabotaging the relatively vulnerable baggage train.

THE SPIDER CLAN The mysterious Spider Clan is thus far only a rumor, and not one that the Lion arc overly concerned about. \·Vhomcver the individuals daring to call themselves a Great Clan may be, they are clearly fools for demonstrating such a disregard for Imperial law. As of yet, there have been no instances of large-scale engagements including these Spider, and no more than a few dozen have ever been seen in anyone place at any time. Essentially. the Spider are a non-entity to the Lion at this point. They have not demonstrated sufficient numbers to be a threat, and despite their poor choice of naming themselves, they have thus far taken little action other than to police whatever lands require it in the unaligned regions. So long as these Spider do not trouble the Lion, the Lion will not trouble them. Should that happen, then of course the Lion's full fury would be unleashed upon these upstarts. and they would die the deaths reserved for all ranin scum.

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THE UNICORN CLAN In the past decade, the Unicorn Clan has proven to be the Lion's most implacable and consistent foe. The hatred that has arisen between the two Clans surpasses even the (now abated) hatred that once existed between the Lion and Crane, and it is unlikely that the two will ever be allies while the generations that participated in their more recent wars arc alive to keep the hatred fresh. For now. the deaths inflicted by the Unicorn during the War of the Rich Frog and the Khan's unprecedented assault on the Lion provinces during the winter of I 168 ensure that the Lion will almost certainly consider their Clan to be at war with the Unicorn for at least the next half-century, barring some extraordinary event. Mobility is the foremost consideration for the Lion when facing the Unicorn. The sheer number of cavalry units that the Unicorn bring to bear in any engagement vastly outnumbers what the Lion can muster to counter them. This makes standard attack strategies hard to implement, simply because it is exceptionally difficult for Lion infantry to come to grips with Unicorn cavalry. To make matters worse, the Unicorn excel at travel-related magic, so even their infantry can, wilh proper shugenja support, outmaneuver Lion infantry. The Lion answer to this is to usc entrenched positions to protect whatever it is the Unicorn are after, and force the Unicorn to come to them. This is not always possible, unfortunately, since the Unicorn's objectives arc not always clear. \>\'hen faced with such a situation, the Lion try to surround and ovenvhelm as many cavalry as pos-

sible, using what amounts to human wave tactics in order to eliminate the enemy Clan's innate advantages. At the Battle of the Firefly River in 1136, Akodo Ginawa and the Akodo Army were able to defeat the Unicorn under Mota Gahcris by isolating part of the Unicorn army in a place where it could not maneuver, and pounding at it until it broke. The other great difficulty represented by the Unicorn is the fact that their entire art of war, compared to that of the other Great Clans, is almost completely idiosyncratic. This includes both their weapons of choice, which are often not Rokugani in origin; the different types of magic that they employ in battle; and the strategies they use. The Unicorn wandered the world for the greater part of a thousand years, after all, and have accumulated a vast array of influences from gaijin peoples, in war as in culture and manners. Fortunately for the Lion, most of these idiosyncrasies have relatively simple solutions. Equipment is not a concern for the Lion, as they have the perfect weapon in the hands of each individual samurai regardless: the katana. Likewise, the strange magic employed by the Unicorn rarely has an impact greater than that of traditional magic, so despite the oddities involved, they do not require anything more than a tweaking of existing anti-magic strategies. \·Vith regard to non-conventional tactics, the Lion choose not to second-guess themselves. Gaijin thinking cannot be anticipated, so a Lion commander must proceed as he would against any other foe, and refuse to allow himself rhe luxury of constant wondering he is employing the right maneuver. A samurai acts with certainty. and that is all.

Lion Strongholds Vv'ar and honor are the lifeblood of the Lion Clan, and of the Families that serve the Clan with zeal and distinction. Throughout their provinces, there are very few holdings that do not possess military value of one form or another. If there is no military reason to build a village, castle, or city, then the Lion simply do not build it. The only exceptions to this rule are the shrines that each Family maintains to honor their ancestors, and the temples that the Kitsu maintain throughout the Lion provinces. Even these most sacred sites have value to

the Lion armies, however, as they serve as rallying points and morale boosts to the legions of warriors eager to give their lives in service to the Lion.

The network of fortresses and castles across the Lion provinces is a carefully maintained and efficient system that ensures that no Lion stands alone in the face of an enemy attack. Should anyone target be attacked, troops can immediately be brought in from another nearby facility to reinforce the garrison and halt the enemy advance. Throughout history, this system has failed only once. When the Unicorn Clan marched into Lion territory during the winter of 1168, their shugenja used magics that changed the weather to hinder the Lions' response. The Lion forces reacting to the invasion simply could not move through the thick winter storms quickly enough to catch the mobile Unicorn army, and the Lion lands suffered terribly as a result. Since the Khan's campaign, the Lion have tried to improve the mobility of their armies. They have substantially increased the number of cavalry available at all major installations, and have taken steps to ensure that their shugenja are well trained in attempting to counteract such wide-scale magical effects.

Biskamon Seido J3ishamon Seido is the largest temple to Bishamon, the Fortune of Strength, that exists an)'\vhere in the Empire. Bishamon is easily the Fortune most respected by the Lion, for what else does a warrior need to gUide him save strength and the code of Bushido? The shrine was constructed centuries ago to honor the exploits of Matsu ltagi, the Lion Clan Champion of his generation. ltagi was a prideful man, one some went so far as to call a braggart. With no real enemies to speak of, ltagi turned his attention to the one foe his Family had never truly faced: the Shadowlands. He traveled to the Crab Lands and demanded to be allowed entrance to the Shadowlands, boasting that he could reach the Festering Pit and defeat Fu Leng single-handedly, thus ending the threat of that dark realm forever. The Crab resisted, but ultimately bowed to the will of a Clan Champion, and Hagi disappeared into the Shadowlands. When his Family later accused the Crab of having played some role in his disappearance, the Crab Champion traveled alone into the Shadowlands, found the wounded and battered Itagi deep within the twisted lands, and the nvo returned together. They died shortly thereafter, but both were remembered as heroes

by their nvo Clans. Bishamon Seido was constructed both in honor of Bishamon, for bestowing his blessings so clearly upon Itagi, and in honor of ltagi himself. Bishamon Seido is situated near the border benveen the Kitsu and Matsu provinces, and so it is only fitting that it is a major collaboration between nvo rather differenL Families. The shrine has no less than 100 Kitsu tending to it at all times, as well as a significant number of monks from the Fortunist order that reveres Bishamon. Additionally, the temple serves as perhaps one of the largest dojo for the Matsu armies in the Lion Lands. \"lhiJe the sheer number of troops stationed at Crossroads Castle in Tonfajutsen and the barracks at Shiro Matsu is larger, the number of students training to join the Matsu legions at Bishamon Seido is greater than at any other dojo in the Lion provinces. At the same time, it is one of the largest temples for the training of Kitsu shugenja, second only to the Kitsu's ancestral home, effectively bringing entire generations of Matsu and Kitsu together in a spirit of cooperation. During the recent winter campaign of the Unicorn Clan, Bishamon Seido was one of a handful of fortifications that the Khan's army bypassed, even though it lay directly along their invasion route. \"lhile the number of Matsu stationed there was considerable, most were students, and would likely have posed little threat to the seasoned soldiers of the Khol and Baraunghar armies. It was instead the large number of battle-hardened Kitsu shugenja, more than a hundred, all trained for war, that kept the Unicorn at a distance. The Baraunghar shugenja outnumbered the Kitsu by a wide margin, of course, but the pOSSibility that the conflict would take too great a toll on the Unicorn, or delay their progress until the Matsu armies could arrive, was simply too great. As a result, Bishamon Seido became one of the secure points along the Unicorn's path, and was a rallying point for those driven from their homes by the Khan's aggression. Thousands of refugees flocked to the shrine from Kyuden lkoma, various outposts, and over a dozen villages. The shrine's supplies were sorely taxed, but the Kitsu made them last as long as was necessary, until the thav-"s reopened the roules benveen the various Lion outposts. Function: The principle purpose of Bishamon Seido is as a shrine and temple. Beyond that, however, it is also well known throughout the Lion provinces as a major dojo for both the Kitsu shugenja and the Matsu bushi. Not only is it the largest Kitsu dojo, but those trained here are the most militant of their number, and most go on to serve within the four Lion armies. In the aftermath of the Khan's assault in 1168, the shrine has taken on the role of a re-supply point and a source of replacements for Lion forces. Each spring brings at least a legion'S worth of young Matsu bushi prepared to receive an appointment to the Matsu armies, and it is from this location that they deploy to join their brothers and sisters in arms. Authorities: The ultimate authority over Bishamon Seido lies with the shrine's Grand Master, a position that answers only to the Kitsu and Matsu Daimyo, and of course to the Lion Clan Champion. TI1e position is currently held by a wizened old shugenja named Kitsu fusashi. Fusashi is of Ikoma descent, and has developed a reputation over the years of embracing the philosophies of the original Ikoma to great effect. \Vhile there is some debate abollt his character, no one can deny the terrible effectiveness of his students on the battlefield.

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The Unicorn samurai have always been known as masters of cavalry warfare, surpassing any other Clan in the Empire in thiS field, and their ranks include many elite, specialized cavalry units. However, the armies of the Unicorn Clan also contain many other specialized units, some of which are just as important as their cavalry, if less impressive.

)\t\oto White qual'd The White Guard of the Mota Family is an elite group, even among the already handpicked forces of the Army of the Center. The samurai of lhis unit are a special breed of Mota warrior, and only those who are both extremely piOUS and truly devoted to the Mota family's cause can hope to join their ranks. Even if he possesses these qualities, a Moto samurai must still display such a wide array of skills, both in battle and outside of it, that few warriors have what it takes ro even be considered as candidates for the \!\fhite Guard.

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The \Vhire Guardsmen are immediately recognizable by the ghostly white armor they wear and the pale makeup that covers their faces - not unlike the Kabuki-style face paint favored by the Kuni, but less deliberately decorative, so that it makes them appear like the ghosts of long dead warriors on the battlefield. The \ Vhite Guard are the most fearsome unit of all the Unicorn armies. rivaled only by the famous Utaku Battlc Maidens. Despite the fierce reputation they have always enjoyed. the White Guard long lingered under a cloud of disgrace, much as is still the case with the Shinjo Family. Three centuries ago, the Moto Daimyo, Mota Tsume. led his forces deep into the Shadowlands, arrogantly believing he could destroy Fu Leng's realm forever. The White Guard, and indeed the bulk of the Mota army at that time, was almost annihilated. But that was not the worse of it, for many of those who were lost did not actually perish, but succumbed to the Taint. Those who had fallen rose again to form the Dark Mota, sometimes called the Black Guard, a twisted and perverted form of everything their former comrades sought to embody. These Dark Mota warriors retained their training and military expertise, and immediately became one of the most fearsome forces of the Shadowlands. Merciless and without fear, blindly dedicated to Fu Leng, they struck constantly at the borders of the Empire, spreading death and devastation wherever they went. Their leader, Mota Tsume, became one of the Shadowlands' most fearsome generals. and a terrible scourge on Rokugan. To the surviving samurai of the Moto Family, these Dark Mota were an unbearable disgrace. The few Mota samurai who survived their journey into the Shadowlands bore all the shame of their fallen brorhers. These Mota warriors became obsessed with their own deaths, belieVing the dark fate that had consumed their brothers would one day fall upon them. Yet that day never came, and slowly the ranks of the VVhite Guards began to recover, albeit still a shadow of its former might.

The \·Vhite Guard dedical'ed itself to destroying the Dark Mota and restoring the family'S honor. They were grim and humorless warriors, obsessed with their own deaths, but they were also fearless and utterly determined to erase the shame of their corrupted brothers. They finally achieved their goal in 1133; as the Battle of Oblivion's Gate raged, ""'10to Gaheris led a Mota anny spearheaded by the \Vhite Guard into the Shadowlands for a final battle against the Dark Moto, The battle turned on the fortunate treachery of Otaku Kamoko, who saCrificed her honor to assume command of the undead Mota and led them to their destruction. The Vlhile Guard finally erased the stain on their family's honor. Today, the \Vhite Guard is returned to its former glory. They ride with their Khan, forming the most elite unit of the Khol forces. Since the Dark Mota have been crushed, the objective of the White Guard has changed. Now, every member of the \Vhile Guard is wholly devoted to serving the Khan. They do this not only because they believe it is the right thing, but also because Moto Gaheris personally helped them reclaim their honor. They are totally devoted to their Clan Champion, and serve the Khan both by defending his person and crushing his enemies. \·Vhite Guard samurai never hesitate to risk their own lives in order to protect their Khan, nor do they shy from a fight with anyone or anything the Khan has named as an enemy. The bushi of the vVhite Guard consider it a great privilege to die for their Khan in battle. The White Guard is also perhaps the most pious military unit in the Unicorn army. Their training emphasizes attention to the teachings of the Tao and the \visdom of the Fortunes, in order to remain pure of body, mind, and soul. They study religion with an obsession matched by few bushi in the Empire, zealously cleansing any possible corruption that may

have infected them. By remaining as pure as they can, they believe they can avoid the shameful fate that befell their brothers a century earlier. Some claim the warriors of the White Guard are so pious that even the kami respect their devotion. The combination of the \rVhite Guard's unsurpassed abilities with the horse, their singular skills in battle, and their intense religious devotion turns these samurai from simple warriors into something more like unrelenting forces of nature. The \rVhile Guard have the speed, mobilily, and power of all Unicorn cavalry, but they also have the strength of their convictions. The \V"hitc Guard are very particular about who may join their ranks. Only Moto samurai with years of service and outstanding martial skills are accepted, and on top of those requirements, all successful candidates must demonstrate truly exceptional piety, as determined by the sensei of the \rVhite Guard dejo. The \·Yhite Guard fill the First Legion of the Khol Army, an oversized legion with a strength of 2,000 men. They accompany the Khan almost everywhere he rides, especially in times of war.

L\faku Battle Maidens The Utaku Battle Maidens are considered the most elite cavalry warriors in all of Rokugan. They are also the most exclusive unit of the Unicorn Clan's army. Although their numbers are small compared to other great warrior Families such as the Mota, the Hida, and the Matsu, the Utaku Family nonetheless produce truly exceptional bushi, and their native martial qualities suffuse the very essence of the Battle Maidens. Known throughout the Empire for the lightning speed of their attacks NPC MOTO SEN. SHIREIKAN OF THE WHITE GUARD

Air: 4 Reflexes 5 Honor: 4.3

Earth: 4

Fire: 4 Agility: 5 Status: 6.0

Water: 4 Stamina 5

Void: 4

Glory: 5.0

SCHooL/RANK: Mota Bushi 4/White Guard 3 ADVANTAGFS: Allies (Mota ChagataI4lI), Balance DISADVANTAGES: Ascetic, Idealistic KATA: Howl of the Moto, Mota's Burning Strike, Striking as Earth, Striking as Fire, Thundering the Sky SKJLlS: Animal Handling (Horses) 4, Athletics 4, Battle 6, Defense 5, Horsemanship 7, jiujutsu 5, Kenjulsu 6, Kyujutsu (Horse Archery) 5, Lore: Burning Sands 5. Polearms (Lance) 4, Shadowlands Lore 2, Stealth 2. Theology (Fortunes, Tao) 5. Moto Sen comes from a long line of warriors who have given up their lives in the service of the White Guard. Some of his direct ancestors were in fact part of the Moto \ Vhite Guard army that succumbed to the Taint of the Shadowlands so many years ago. Despite this dark side of his heritage, Moto Sen is extremely proud of his bloodline. Like his father and grandfather, from \vhom he learned early in life of the importance of honor and discipline, Sen has worked hard all his life to become the best and purest warrior he can possibly be. As a young boy, Sen dreamed of joining his father and grandfather in the \Vhite Guard, but he understood that gaining acceptance into this elite military unit was no easy

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and their fearlessness and unwavering determination in battle, the Barrie Maidens train with an intensity few military units in Rokugan can match. Nevertheless, it is the spiritual bond the Baule Maidens share with their steeds, inherited from Otaku herself, that makes these warriors so deadly and efficient. Battle Maidens ride the famous Utaku steeds, with which they share an intimate connection. Unquestionably the finest breed of horse known to Rokugan, the Utaku steeds are larger, faster, and stronger than other horses; compared to them, the standard Rokugani horse seems more like a pony than a proper warhorse. In combat these steeds are as bold and fearless as the Battle Maidens who ride them. Surprisingly. while only the women of the Family can ride these magnificent horses, there is an old tradition among the Utaku dictating that it is the men of the Family who must breed and care for these legendary steeds. Over the course of generations, this tradition has turned the Utaku men into the most accomplished horse breeders of the Unicorn Clan. A Battle Maiden shares a nearly spiritual bond with her warhorse. This almost empathic rapport makes the Utaku steed especially devoted to its Battle Maiden, and to a lesser degree to all other Shiotome. It takes many months for rider and horse to become truly bonded with one another, but once this connection is made, it can never be severed, as only death may part a Battle Maiden from her Utaku mount. The Utaku battle horse is so devoted to her that it would willingly give up its own life in order to protect her from harm. Similarly, many Shiotome have given up their own lives in order to save their beloved steeds. It is said that when a Battle Maiden loses her horse, a part of her

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task. As soon as he joined the Junghar, Sen wholeheartedly devoted himself to mastering the Unicorn way of war. For years, he fought alongside the Khan's army and the \·Vhite Guard without ever being allowed fa even approach the \'Vhite Guard Barracks. As he gained experience, however, Sen eventually attracted the attention of several samurai, and one of them finally invited him to join the Khal. In the Khol Army. Mota Sen was one step closer to his goal, but he was not satisfied with only partial success. Redoubling his efforts, he continued to study the Tao and the Fortunes as his father had taught him. To his frustration, however, he could not seem to gain any sort of enlightenment from his studies. One fateful day, however, everything changed. In the heart of the Burning Sands, fighting savage desert raiders, Mote Sen almost lost his life. Left for dead after a terrible battle in which his squadron was nearly Wiped out, Sen struggled to survive in the desert without supplies. After clinging to life for weeks, he stumbled upon a wild horse, and eventually befriended him. \Vhen Sen returned to Rokugan, those who had known him before this ordeal believed that he had been purified by his experience. Among them were officers of the \Nhite Guard, friends of his family, and he was finallly invited to join the Guard. He has fought proudly alongside the Khan ever since, participating to countless armed conflicts, including the famous last battle of the \,Var of the Rich Frog. Today, Moto Sen commands the entire \ Vhite Guard, and is one of Moto Chagatai's most important commanders.

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dies along with the animal. It can take months or even years for a Shiotome whose steed has fallen in combat to establish a meaningful rapport with another Utaku battle horse. This unique relationship between rider and steed requires that the Shiotome have some of Otaku's blood coursing through her veins. Because of this, women from outside the Clan are almost never allowed to join the Utaku Battle Maidens. The presence of non-Unicorn women at the Utaku Bartle Maiden Dejc is also considered bad {or the student's morale and focus. On a few extremely rare occasions, \\Iomen from other Great Clans have been allowed to become Battle Maidens, but they were exceptional individuals who had true Otaku blood and possessed all the virtues needed to be a Shiotome. When Otaku swore she would never teach a male of her lineage to ride the steeds of her Family, and decided her title, (Xlwer, and wealth would be passed on to her firstborn daughter. she set events into motion that would completely define her descendants' way of life. It is the women of the Family that have followed her footsteps as warriors, and the secrets she taught them built the foundations of the Utaku Battle Maiden Dojo. Every girl accepted into the school is expected to have the spirirual purity of her legendary ancestor. Otaku was known for her unwavering devotion and her unquestionable loyalty. She also held herself above worldly desires, making the safety of Shinjo her only concern. The Battle Maidens, who embody the virtues of their forcmother, are thus expected to have the same purity of body and spirit. Because they consider the propagation of their house vital to the Utaku Family, the Battle Maidens recognize the need for their members to retire, marry, and have children. To the Shiotome, this is no shameful thing. but there are rules to be followed. A Battle Maiden must serve her Clan for at least ten years before she is allowed to retire and have children. Ii she retires before that time, she is dishonored. in fact, the camaraderie and elan of the Battle Maidens is such that the vast majority of them refuse to have children until they arc in their thirties, preferring to remain in active duty for as long as they can. Indeed, some have served in the unit for decades. Battle Maidens who have had children occasionally return to active duty. while others become sensei at the Utaku Battle Maiden Dojo. The Battle t\'laidens are always assigned to the Khan's Army. Each of their legions is much larger than the standard Akodo legion, consisting of approximately 1.800 troops. In combat, the Battle lvlaidens are oiten deployed to charge the enemy line head-on, but they may also be tasked with countering a threat from the enemy's best cavalry. \\Tarrior as his deSignated protector for that round.

New Path: Baraunghar Shugenja (Shugenja) The shugenja of the Baraunghar Army are a crucial part of the genius of the Unicorn Clan's art of war. They are trained to use their powcrs of manipulating the kami to support the Unicorn soldiers, but in a highly focused and unusually powerful way. As a shugenja of the Baraunghar, you are expected to focus on one thing in battle, and one thing only: enhancing the mobility that already constitutes a great strength for your Clan's soldiers. Your abilities are somewhat narrower than most of your shugenja peers, but in exchange, you may carry with you the pride of knOWing that victory for the Unicorn rides on your intimacy with the kamL

RANK' 2 PATH OF ENTRY: Horiuchi Shugenja 2, Iuchi Shugenja 2 PATH OF EGRESS: Re-enter the same school at rank 3

TECHNIQyE

Technique: Warrior of the River One of the most important roles of the Baraunghar Shugenja is to augment his allies and stymie his enemies with blessings and curses from the kami. When targeting an ally with a spell that grants bonuses of any kind, you may spend 2 Raises to target another ally with the same spell. The spell is still only

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considered to have been cast once; it simply gains an addition targer. The second target must still be within the range of the spell, however. In addition. you also gain a Free Raise whenever you cast Counterspell.

New Path: luchi Scout (Bushi)

In the Junghar Army. soldiers' approach to individual combat mirrors their strategic doctrine. Designed as a defense force, the Junghar do not train to take the offensive, but to patrol the Unicorn Lands and hold them against an attacking enemy. In a fight, individual Junghar soldiers are trained (no matter what they may have learned elsewhere) to assume a defensive crouch first, and to attack the enemy from that posture. and only at moments when the likelihood of success is high. TECHNIQiJE RANK; 3

Once trailblazers for the Unicorn Clan. the Iuchi Scouts have more recently settled into a purely military role, serving in both

the Baraunghar and the Khol. Their role is to scout out the surrounding terrain as well as reconnoiter and harass the enemy. The earliest Iuchi Scouts were shugenja whose unusual understanding of nature enabled them to cope with difficult and mysterious terrain with uncommon ease. Their descendants take that tradition and use its basic principles 10 move and strike quickly and stealthily. On campaign, Iuchi Scouts will usually find themselves detached from the main body of the Khol. looking for enemy dispositions and ambushing their scouts whenever possible. The Khan. in fact, relies on the iuchi Scouts to help keep the enemy blind as to his position and movements. They also have standing orders to strike at targets of opportunity, such as enemy supply depots. They are used to operating alone or in small groups far from friendly lines, returning to the main body of the army only to report and receive new orders.

PATH OF ENTRY: Any Unicorn Bushi School (except Utaku Battle Maiden) 2, Any ronin bushi school (if you are a Unicorn bushi) 2 PATH OF EG RESS: Re-enter the same school at Rank 3

Technique: Shield of the Khan vYhile in the Full Defense posture. you may immediately make one free attack against any foe that attacks you and misses your TN to Be Hit by 10 or more. This attack is treated as a Standard Attack Action (and occurs while you arc in the Full Defense posture). You switch to the Attack posture after your attack, and you may not switch to the Full Defense posture during this round or the next. Additionally, while in the Full Defense posture, you gain a bonus to your TN to Be Hit and your attack rolls equal to your \'Yater Ring.

New Path: Khol Raider (Bushi)

TECHNIQ!}E RANK; 1

BENEFIT: +1 Perception HONOR: 2.5 SKilLS: Athletics, Hunting, Investigation, Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu.

Stealth, anyone Skill STARTING OUTFIT: Katana, wakizashi. yumi, 20 arrows.

light armor. kimono and sandals. traveling pack; 8 koku PATH OF ENTRY: This is an entry-level Path PATH OF EGRESS: Any Unicorn Bushi School I (if criteria to join is met)

Technique: Locate the Foe Reconnaissance of enemy military units and neutralizing en~ emy scouts looking for the Unicorn are now two of the Iuchi Scouts' primary duties. Their early training emphasizes finding the enemy and staying alive once you have found him. You gain a bonus to your Horsemanship, Hunting and Stealth Skill Rolls and your Initiative Rolls equal to your Perception.

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If the Junghar soldiers are trained to defend first and attack later. the soldiers of the Khol Army are trained to attack first and also attack later. Individual combat training in the Khol, at its highest levels. teaches you to raise your energy level as the number of foes increases. It also teaches you to draw strength from your comrades. for while a single warrior of the Khol is to be feared. a group of them fighting in cooperation with each other will never know defeat. TECHNIQ!}E RANK; 4

PATH OF ENTRY: Any Unicorn Bushi School (except Battle Maiden) 3. Any ronin bushi school (if you are a Unicorn bushi) 3 PATH OF EG RESS: Re-enter the same school at Rank 4

Technique: Blade of the Khan The soldiers of the Khol specialize in offensive strategies and fighting techniques. and anyone invited to join the mightiest

of the Lhree Unicorn armies must learn to attack as his first instinct. At the beginning of each combat round, you gain a bonus of + IkO for each samurai within 30' of you, or +2kO for each Unicorn samurai. The maximum number of dice you may gain with this technique is equal to your Path of Entry School Rank plus one. These dice may be divided up as bonuses to any attack or damage roll, or any other action you wish to take during that round. Any dice not used by the end of the round me lost.

New Path: Shinjo elite Ciuar-d (Bushi) Though they are superb battlefield warriors, the Shinjo Elite Guard have never forgotten their origins as Lady Shinjo's own personal bodyguards. To this day, their reputation as bushi re-

lies most heavily on their individual skill in mounted combat, particularly in using the height, reach, and speed granted by their steed to defeat a foe, or even a number of foes in rapid succession. TECHNIQYE RANK; 4 PATH OF ENTRY: Shinjo Bushi 3 PATH OF EGRESS: Shinjo Bushi 4

Technique: Shinjo's Speed The Shinjo Elite Guardsman's mastery of mounted combat is breathtaking. \·Vhile mounted, you gain a Free Raise on all Bugei Skill rolls, and an additional Free Raise on all attack rolls against infantry (I.e., 2 Free Raises total when attacking an unmounted targer). You also gain a bonus equal to twice your \'Vater Ring to your TN to Be Hit and attack rolls.

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TECHNIQl,JE RANK: 2

PATH OF ENTRY: Shinjo Sushi I PATH OF EG RESS: Shinjo SCOUI 1

New Path: Shinjo t-Iorsebowman (Bushi) The Unicorn are the unquestioned masters of mounted archery, and the Shinjo Horsebowrnen are the finest horse archers the Clan has to offer. They are trained in various obscure and (to the average Rokugani warrior) confusing tactical maneuvers to aid them on the battlefield, but the core of their strength is mastery of the dai-kyu and their exceptional skill in delivering accurate, rapid fire from a horse moving at speed.

Technique: t-Ianal'i's Technique Devised by Shinjo Hanari. a Unicorn master of horse archery. this technique allows the Shinjo Horsebowmen to fire rapidly from horseback without sacrificing accuracy. \t\Thile you are on

horseback, all penalties to Kyujutsu Skill Rolls are reduced by 5. You gain .3 Free Raises to make an additional attack while using a bow from horseback.

New Dojo The following dojo are described earlier in this chapter. The mechanics described below follow all rules and gUidelines included in Chapter Eight of The Emerald Empire. Three more Unicorn daja arc presented in that book: Dojo of the Centcr, Gatherer of Winds Temple and Shinjo Dojo. Those three dojo have additional Schools and Paths from this book available to

them. They are as follows: Dojo of the Center: Khol Raider. Gatherer of \·Vinds Temple: Baraunghar Shugenja. Shinjo Dojo: Shinjo Elite Guard, Shinjo Horsebowman.

rhe Dojo of the Left LOCATION: Duzaki Toshi SCHOOLS: Moto Bushi, Shinjo Bushi. Shinjo Scout PATHS: Junghar Defender, Shinomen Guard BENEFIT: Students of The Dojo of the Left gain a +lkO bonus to all Defense Skill Rolls.

The Dojo of the "Right LOCATION: Shiro iuchi SCHOOLS: Iuchi Shugenja PATHS: Baraunghar Shugenja, Baraunghar \·Varrior, Moto

Priest of Death BENEFIT: Students of the Dojo of the Right gain a +lkO bonus to their spellcasting rolls when casting vVater spel1s.

c Heritage rabIes To say that the history of the Unicorn Clan is unique among the Great Clans is something of an understatement. Because so many historical events are peculiar to them and have not really affected other Clans, the list of barrles in which they have been involved is quite unusual. \·Vhen creating a Unicorn character and using the Heritage Tables in the Legend of the Five Rings Ro~ leplaying Game Third Edition core rule book pp. 153·55. you may use the following in place of Heritage Table .3A - Great Battles. Moto characters should subtract .3 from the resulr of the roll. Roll -2-0

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Result The Blood War: Well out of sight of the rest of the Empire, the Mota fought the first battles against the Living Darkness. Your ancestor was one of the few who survived. You gain 1 Glory Rank and an extra Void point that you may spend when you are engaged in a skirmish with servants of the Shadow Dragon. This Void Point is no longer available after the skirmish ends. The Moto War: While the other Great Clans gathered to fight the Living Darkness at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate in 1133, the Unicorn fought their own desperate struggle to finally crush the Dark Mota and end the stain on the Clan's honor that they represented. You gain 1 Glory Rank and and an extra Void Point that you may spend when you are engaged in a skirmish against Shadowlands creatures. The Void Point is no longer available when the skirmish ends.

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A Battle in Gaijin Lands: You have an ancestor who distinguished himself in a skirmish or battle fought in a corner of the world that, to the Rokugani mind, will forever remain obscure. It is remembered within the Clan by those who honor the history of the centuries of exile, but not outside the Clan. You gain 5 Glory Points and 1 Rank in Lore: Gaijin Cultures. The Return of the Unicorn (The Kaiu Wall): Your ancestor distinguished himself in the initial assault on the northern Kaiu Wall during the Unicorn's return from the gaijin lands. You Gain 1 Glory Rank and 1 Rank in the Battle Skill. The Return of the Unicorn: After riding through the Crab army, the Unicorn faced the combined armies of the Lion and the Scorpion Clans. The terrain allowed the Unicorn's obvious superiority in cavalry to make up for their lack of numbers. You gain 1 Honor Rank and 1 Rank in the Sattle Skill. Battle of the Chrysanthemum Petals: Your ancestor was among the Unicorn army that fought off the invading Dark Mota horde led by the corrupted Moto Tsume in 827. You gain 1 Glory Rank and 1 Rank in Lore: Shadowlands. Battle of the White Shore Plains: In the midNinth Century, the Scorpion offered to aid the Lion in a war against the Unicorn, expecting an easy victory by the former. The Lion army, however, stood by while the Unicorn focused on the Scorpion army and shattered it. You gain 1 Glory Rank, a Minor Ally (Devotion: 1) in the Akodo Family and a Sworn Enemy in the Bayushi Family.

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The Battle of the Cresting Wave, 716 The Battle of the Cresting \ Vave is a signal event in the Crab Clan's history and the history of the Empire as a whole. It also stands, even after 450 years. as a textbook illustration of all the principal aspects of the Crab art of war: their engineering skill, their indomitable willpower on the defensive, and their Taw fury on the attack. The battle was the climax of The Maw's attempt to destroy the Empire by military force, and the history of that campaign is well known. After overrunning the Hiruma and Kuni lands with a vast army of ani and other foul spawn of the

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owlands, The l'...law marched north toward the Seigo River to crush the Hida and lay open the rest of the Empire to destruction. \ Vhen Crab Champion Hida Banuken reorganized his forces at his last remaining stronghold, Kyuden Hida. he realized that he would have to make what could be the last stand of the Crab on the northern bank of the Seigo, or else allow a debilitating siege of his castle, A pitched battle on open ground. however. was out of the question. Banuken could muster barely more than 20,000 soldiers, including ronin and scattered detachments from other Clans. \·Vhile no precise estimate of thc Shadowlands horde could be made (nor have .my historians since then hazarded one), a quick visual inspection made it plain that the Crab would be swamped. The Kaiu could build defensive works to keep them at bay, but with The Maw only two days' march from Kyudcl1 Hida, they had no time. Howcver, a young shugenja named Kuni Osaku stepped fonvard, working powerful magic thaI kept the Shadowlands army from crossing the Seigo River for an astonishing 73 days. until the effort drained the lasr life from her body. Her sacrifice allowed the Kaiu engineers just enough time to erect stout defenSive works that later became rhe basis for the Great Carpenter \Vall. These defenses included a network of tunnels that extended beneath the riverbed and emptied out onto the far bank.

During this time, The Maw, unable to nullify Os..1ku's enchantments, could only wait on the southern bank. When she finally expired, the waters of the Seigo subsided, exposing the riverbcd and allOWing the Shadowlands horde to cross. Banuken and his small force stood ready for them. with the Hida heavy infantry. intcnnixed with ronin and Clan allies, manning the walls, while the fell and revenge-crazed Hiruma waited in resen'e to avenge the loss of their homelands. The Maw's minions launched themselves in an unending wave against the Crab fortifications, but the newly.erecred works held, and the genius of the Kaiu and the will of the Hida kept them at bay (see map 1). But an Oni Lord is nO[ easily deterred, and The Maw rallied his forces to launch them again and again against the Crab defenders, who fought back with siege engines and destructive spells as well as steel. Hida Banuken himself patrolled the baulemems, rushing with his personal guard to wherever the Shadowlands beasts seemed most likely to gain a foothold. Finally, near the end of the day, both the Hida along the walls and the Shadowlands horde approached exhaustion. Thanks to the fortitude of the Hida. Banukcn had not had to commit his reserves. Now, he sensed the time had finally come for his counterstroke. From the walls, he gave the signal to advance, and 10,000 Hiruma warriors, grim yet elated at the prospect of revenge, rushed through the tunnels. They emerged into the dry riverbed, squarely in the rear of The Maw's wearied army (see map 2), Pinned against the fortific"ltions by ,,1 fresh body of troops intent to a man on their slaughter, the Shadowlands horde dissolved. Most fell 10 the HiruJ11~'s wrath. The Maw himselfwas killcd, overpowered by more Hiruma bushi that he could destroy, supported by Kuni shugenja who were themselves determined to extract vengeance for their own lands and for Osaku, already revered as a heroine, By nightfall, the enemy had disappeared from in front of the walls, save for the shattered remains of those monsters destroyed in the battle. Hida Banuken's army had suffered heavy casualties - some 40% killed or wounded -- but Lhey had de~ strayed an entire army, and an Oni Lord for good measure. The Maw's skull was taken to Kyudcn Hida, where it hung as the Clan's most prominent baule trophy for nearly five centuries. The Seigo River was renamed Seigo no Kamac, the River of the Last Stand, in honor of the battle. Not for the first time, nor for the last. Crab will and thc sacrifice of Crab blood saved the Empire from its worSL enemy.

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+-Ih·uma Counterattack KYUDEN HIDA

The Baffle of the Firefly River, 1136 Though but one battle in the Lion Clan's storied history. the Battle of the Firefly River stands as a classic example of the value of Lion discipline, tenacity. and strategic and tactical skill - all the more so because they prevailed against one of the most formidable military forces modern Rokugan has known:

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In 1136. Khan Mota Gaheris decided to strike at the Lion. seeking both 10 expand his territories and to test the strength of one of the Unicorn's natural rivals. As Toturi I had only recently reinstated the Akada Family, Gaheris assumed (not

without reason) that the strength of the Lion was at a low ebb and would only get stronger over rime. If there was a time to strike. it was the prescnt. Accordingly, he assembled an army organized according to the Moto model. consisting largely of cavalry, with Utaku infantry and luchi shugenja from the Baraunghar Army for support. and marched southeast, toward the City of the Rich Frog. The Ikoma, seeing that an invasion of their lands was imminent, opened negotiations with the Unicorn, and served their Clan well. Feigning weakness, they persuaded Gaheris the Lion might cede lands to him without a fight if only he would wait for a formal reply to his demands. Convinced more strongly than ever of his advantage, the Khan bided his time. The Lion, of course, used that time to mobilize. The I\kodo family daimyo. Akodo Ginawa, marshaled an army of his own family's forces. newly trained and organized according to the traditional Akodo model, along with a small contingent of Matsu shock troops, and headed for the Firefly River. \ Vhen lhe Ikoma diplomats received word that Ginawa was on the move, they finally broke off the parlay. Gaheris. still convinced the Lion would not challenge him, proceeded at a leisurely pace. He crossed the Firefly just upriver from the City of the Rich Frog in an offensive pOSLure, throwing his infantry across as a screen, the cavalry follOWing across the narrow ford. He sent his luchi Scouts and light cavalry out on his flanks to observe the enemy and cut off their avenues of approach. But the left flank delachmenl could not find a suitable ford closer La the main army than tcn milcs upstream, and the right flank detachment could not cross except at a single-file bridge leading into the City of the Rich Frog. The Akodo army's sudden descent caught the Khan by surprise. Thc battle commenced at mid-morning, the Unicorn having begun their crossing shortly after dawn. Ginawa was outnumbered. but he knew he would never have a better chance. with his enemy divided and unable to use their fearsome advanrage in mObility. He hastily deployed his army inro two waves, with the Matsu Berserkers and the Deathseekers in the center of the front (their traditional post) and his most dependable Akodo samurai in the second wave. (See map I).

The first wave smashed into the screen of Utaku Infantry, arranged in a crescent to cover the cavalry's crossing, and pushed it back toward thc bank. The five legions of the Utaku Battle Maidens were the only Unicorn mounted units to have made it across the river, and if they had not been on hand to launch periodic counrercharges, the Unicorn bridgehead would have collapsed. As it was, Gaheris' remaining cavalry remained on the far bank; they qUickly formed up but were unable to cross the ford in sufficient numbers to have much effect on the battle. The Khan and his personal bodyguard, the \Vhite Guard legion, crossed and aided the Banle Maidens in shoring up his position, but no other force of note was able to do so. By midday, the initial attack hfld lost much of its impetus, and even the Berserkers and Deathseekers needed to regroup. The Unicorn infantry had also taken heavy losses and were compelled to contract their bridgehead. At this point, Ginawa sent his second wave forward, surging through gaps in the ranks of the first wave (see map 2). By now, according to Moto doctrine, the Unicorn light cavalry should have made its presence felt on the flanks, pressuring the enemy and giving the Unicorn tactical momentum. But they had crossed the Firefly 100 far from the main battle and did not reach thc ficld until noon. even with the aid of Baraunghar shugenja to hasten them along. Even so. they could potentially have turned the tide of battle, taking the Lion in the rear just as GinawCl had committed all of his reserves. However. Ginawa broke off a detachment on his right flank, which smartly marched out to meet the Unicorn cavalry and held them off for the remainder of the b~1ttle. Seeing that half of his army was close to breaking and the remainder was in little position to reinforce them, Gaheris began ;1 withdrawal. The Battle Maidens pulled back first. then the screening infantry broke off squadron by squadron, relreaLing across the river covered by Shinjo Horsebowmcn deployed on the far bank. The fresh Akodo warriors kept up the pressure, of course, and in the end only the sacrifice of a handful of Ulaku officers, challenging any and all comers to individual duels, prevented a wholesale collapse of the line before the withdrawal could be completed. Ultimately, the Unicorn lost aboul a quarter of their force, while the Lion only lost half as many as Lheir foe. Mota Gaheris, haVing tested the Lion's strength, retreated from the banks of the Firefly, thoroughly disabused of any notion of their weakness. Akodo Ginawa and the Lion, on rhe other hand. had won a significant victory. In the finest Akodo tradition, Ginawa showed flawless tactical and strategic judgment. He took full advantage of the time the Ikoma bought him, and when he saw his enemy was in a position where they could not use either their full numbers or their unique tactical skills, he attacked without hesiLaLion. He committed his reserves at exactly the right time, and responded to crises with calm and grace. In doing so, he restored the lost pride and honor oi the Akodo. \ Vith scarcely a half-day's work. he broadcast to the rest of the Empire that they had returned to their rightful place in the Lion Clan.

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